Although the bricks used to build the chimney are sturdy and long-lasting, the mortar on the other hand is not the same. The mortar is made of cement and sand, so it can weaken and crumble.
In case you don’t know, fixing the mortar before the chimney collapse is known as tuckpointing. It’s quite tricky and slow-paced work. In other words, if you must do this yourself, you have to be patient.
This short but precise guide will show you how to repair brick chimney mortar in five steps.
Step One: Prepare the Bricks
Get a wire brush to remove the debris and moisture. Then remove the weak and crumbled mortar from in between the bricks. You need to carefully do this so that it doesn’t collapse the chimney. Carefully insert a trowel between the bricks to clean out all the crumbled mortar.
Step Two: Spraying Water
When you are through with removing the crumbled mortar, then you need to spray water on the bricks. If you don’t have a long pipe that can get to your chimney, you can fetch the water with a bucket and sprinkle the water gently on the bricks.
More so the aim of sprinkling the water is to prepare it when you apply the mortar. The water would make the bricks bind well with the new mortar mixture.
Step Three: Mix the Mortar
If you are not familiar with how to mix a mortar, get a ready-made mortar mixture. It saves time and the stress of calculating the amount of sand and cement you are supposed to add.
Don’t forget to add a reasonable amount of water to the mortar. Note, a dry or semi-dry mortar would not stick properly to the bricks.
Step Four: Tuckpointing
Now that you have finished mixing the mortar, you can use your trowel to scoop it into the grout bag. You can buy tuckpointing from a retail store too. Squeeze the mortar in the tuckpointing bag into space in between two bricks.
Make sure that the mortar is pushed in that it starts gulping out of the space. Never mind if the mortar is dripping out. It should do. That way you would know you have squeezed in enough mortar.
Step Five: Scraping Off Mortar
It’s time to scrape off all the unwanted mortar. This part must be done gently with a tool called the striker or the trowel. Whichever tool is available can do the job perfectly.
It’s best if you scrape off the mortar starting from the top of the chimney to the lower side.
Step Six: Brushing
Remember at the beginning, you used a hard wire brush to scrape off debris and moisture. No, you need a softer brush to remove the remaining mortar on the surface of the brick. Rob off the mortar gradually so it doesn’t fall off.
Brushing the mortar from the chimney would make your work look professional. Besides, the surface of the brick will be smooth.
Tools You Need to Repair Brick Chimney Mortar
- A tuckpointing bag
- An eye-glass
- Trowel
- Striker
- Ladder
However, the major material you need here is mortar.
The Last Take
Now you know how to repair brick chimney mortar, always inspect the chimney for any weak or crumbling mortar. More so, don’t light up the fireplace immediately. Allow the mortar to dry for 24 hours before you light the fireplace.
However, if the weakened mortar is severer, you may need the services of a professional chimney repair company in Seattle. This may save your chimney from collapsing.