Your chimney is a focal point of your home. A beautifully masoned chimney can really add to your home’s curb appeal. However, because of its location outside your home, your chimney is constantly being exposed to the elements. Moisture from rain and snow can get into your chimney brick, stucco, or concrete and expand once it gets cold enough to freeze. If this happens over and over again, eventually even the best-constructed chimney systems will start to deteriorate. When this happens your chimney will not only become an eyesore, but also a hazard due to falling debris. The good news is that we here TN Fireplace and Chimney can fix your brick, stucco, and concrete problems. It doesn’t matter if you need to repair your crumbling chimney or reface a worn out fireplace, our experienced masonry, stucco, and concrete experts can assess your issue and have your chimney and fireplace looking like new in no time.
There are a lot of issues that can arise with your chimney systems masonry. That is why it is critical to have your chimney inspected annually by a Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified chimney technician at least once a year. Some of the more common masonry issues that we run across when we perform our chimney inspections are:
Efflorescence – Efflorescence occurs when salts and minerals within your masonry are dissolved by moisture in your masonry and leached out onto the surface of your brickwork. This leaves an unsightly white stain. At TN Fireplace and Chimney, we can help you get rid of your efflorescence issues once and for all by determining how water is getting into your masonry and then fixing the moisture intrusion issue at its source.
Loose/crumbling brick and mortar – Water can get into your masonry through tiny pores in your brickwork and mortar. When moisture freezes, it expands and can weaken your masonry. Over time, this can cause your brick and mortar to crumble and loosen, weakening your chimney structure and making it unsightly. This is why it is so important to have moisture controls such as a chimney cap and a chimney crown. When your mortar is crumbling, we can repair it through a process called tuckpointing where we carefully remove the old mortar and replace it with new mortar. We can also remove old crumbling bricks and replace them new bricks. Our masons take their time and make sure that the materials they use are perfectly matched to you original masonry meaning no one will ever be able to tell that there ever was an issue with your fireplace.
Cracked concrete or Stucco – Sometimes chimneys will have concrete or stucco facing applied to it. These materials are just as susceptible to moisture intrusion as your brick and mortar are. When these surfaces crack and chip, we can repair them, matching the color and texture perfectly.
If you need your chimney masonry repaired, inspected, or maintained, you can trust Knoxville’s only CSIA certified chimney technician! Call TN Fireplace & Chimney at (865) 922-2262 or schedule an appointment with a technician online with today. We look forward to hearing from you!
