If you have a masonry chimney, you should know that the Chimney Safety Institute of America tells us that water is your chimney’s greatest enemy because, if allowed to penetrate your masonry joints, it can cause all sorts of expensive repair work, such as structural damage. Another victim of water damage is your chimney crown. To repair this water damage as well as to prevent water damage from even happening, you will need some sort of type of masonry restoration work from a professional chimney company like SirVent Chimney and Venting Service. We have experienced professionals on hand that can perform several types of masonry restoration work, and we would like to tell you more about the types of masonry restoration work we provide.

Repointing and Tuckpointing: Is There a Difference?

To provide you with a better understanding, the Masonry Magazine, the official publication of the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA), states that looking at the differences between the 100-year old definitions of the masonry terms “pointing,” “jointing,” “repointing,” and “tuckpointing” will give you a better idea of what repointing means today:

  • Pointing – The definition of pointing is the placement and careful tooling of a mortar joint between bricks and stones, and contrary to jointing, this process scrapes back the mortar joint several days after the completion of the brickwork.
  • Jointing – Jointing is what bricklayers do today, the process of finishing the joint along with the brickwork being completed.
  • Repointing – Typically the type of restoration work done on older mortar, 100 years ago, repointing meant replacing a failed mortar joint, which happened about once a century.
  • Tuckpointing – The word “tuckpointing” referred to a specialized application of pointing where the bricks were first sanded to a smooth surface and the original mortar joint is masked with a thin strip that matched the brick in color. Then, the joint was meticulously shaved down to match exactly the other joints in the chimney, and a fine, usually white mortar was tucked over the lines and finely manicured to look like no repairs had ever been done.

Today, “repointing” refers to repairing damaged mortar joints by filling in the gaps and holes created by water penetration, and “tuckpointing” refers to replacing deteriorated mortar with new mortar. The experienced and trained professionals at SirVent Chimney and Venting Service are able to provide both types of masonry restoration to repair spalling and other damage due to water penetration of your masonry and mortar joints.

Keeping the Water Out!

After explaining the different types of masonry restoration we provide, SirVent Chimney and Venting Service would like to tell you a little bit about a way to prolong the life of your chimney system’s mortar and masonry materials:

  • Waterproofing – Using specially formulated materials that prevent water from penetrating into your bricks and masonry joints but allow vapors to pass through your chimney, our technicians have been applying the Chimney Saver Water Repellent for the past 20 years successfully to chimneys all over the Central Mississippi area. Your chimney will be protected from water penetration that causes the damage that needs masonry repair work.

If you have loose bricks and chips in the mortar of your chimney, contact our certified and professional staff today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to being your selected chimney service provider.

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