Common Chimney Problems

This chimney repair project was a perfect example of how important it is to choose the right chimney restoration experts to get the job done right the first time. Upon first examination, it was obvious that someone else had already attempted to repair the chimney. The previous company had treated the symptom but didn’t cure the problem. The chimney had internal cracks in the mortar which held moisture. When the cracks were covered with an external silicone sealant, the moisture was trapped and would continue to damage the stone and mortar until it was either beyond repair or until someone knowledgeable came along and fixed it right. Sadly, we see this situation a lot. The customer paid for a full repair but they received a paint job that hid the problem for a little while longer.

Tuckpointing

For the correct chimney repair this chimney should have first been cleared of any loose mortar between the stone and then all the bad joints would be re-tuckpointed and given a like new appearance.

So, the Utmost Renovations Experts removed the external silicone sealant and thoroughly cleaned the chimney surface. Carefully matching the color of the old mortar, new mortar was used to tuckpoint all the bad joints. Once the damage was repaired, our experts removed the black sealant that was making this chimney an eyesore and restored the stones back to their natural aesthetic beauty.

Chimney Crown

The technicians also noticed the slope of the crown contributed to the original problem. The crown was redone with a good slope on it so water would shed off properly in the future, and this chimney was looking good as new, and more importantly, there would be no more internal water damage that would further threaten the integrity of this chimney’s structure. Unfortunately, this is only one of many jobs that Utmost Renovations has been called upon to come fix something that another company was not able to do correctly. The moral of the story: “Pay the best people to do it right the first time”.