Loose crumbling mortar between the brick joints of a chimney indicates its exposure to weather extremes have taken its toll so it’s a good idea to inspect it once a year. Tuckpointing is the process of repairing mortar brick joints and it’s an important preventive maintenance project. If mortar is left unchecked and continues to disintegrate, you’ll need expensive replacement work down the road, so when you see signs of loose mortar, don’t hesitate to fix it or get it fixed.
A mason will charge $779 to repoint loose chimney mortar on a good sized chimney, about 300 square feet, but you can do the job for $175, which covers the cost of the materials and renting the scaffolding needed. The project involves repointing or replacing mortar in the horizontal and vertical joints with a mortar mix. First the joint is cleaned out and all the loose mortar and dirt are removed, then the joint is moistened and new mortar is applied in the joint to provide a permanent seal.
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