Chimney Repointing

Raked out and re-mortared properly — the job that keeps a stack alive.

Mortar is the sacrificial part of brickwork — softer than the bricks by design, it weathers first so they don't. On a chimney that sacrifice happens fast: joints that last a century in a sheltered wall can hollow out in twenty-five years at the stack. Once joints open, water enters the brickwork, freezes, and pops the brick faces off — at which point a repointing job has become a rebuild.

Proper repointing is unglamorous and specific: rake the failed joints out to a sound depth (not smear new mortar over old faces — the classic cowboy shortcut that falls off in sheets), then repoint in a mix matched to the brick. That matching matters more than it sounds: hard cement mortar on soft older brick traps moisture and destroys the brick it's meant to protect, which is why period stacks want lime-based mixes.

Done right, repointing buys a stack another generation for a fraction of rebuild cost — it's the definitive stitch-in-time job.

Benefits

Why choose Chimney Repointing

Joints raked to sound depth — no smear-over shortcuts
Mortar mix matched to the age and hardness of your brick
Lime mortars for period stacks
Stops the water ingress that leads to spalling and rebuilds
Combined naturally with flaunching and flashing work

Features

What's included

Full and partial stack repointing
Weather-struck and flush joint finishes to match
Lime and cement mixes as the brick dictates
Spalled brick replacement where damage has started
Gable and parapet repointing while access is up

Repair options

Repair or replace

Repointing is the repair — the question is scope and timing. Caught early, a partial repoint of the weather faces holds the line. Left until bricks are spalling and the core is wet, you're pricing brick replacement and possibly a partial rebuild instead. If damp is already showing on a chimney breast indoors, check the leaking chimney guide — pointing is one suspect among several, and we diagnose before quoting.

Common questions

Frequently asked

How long does repointing last? +

A properly raked and matched repoint on a chimney should give 25–40 years even in exposure — roughly the life the original pointing managed. Smear-over repointing, by contrast, often sheets off within five. The preparation is the job.

Why does the mortar mix matter so much? +

Mortar must stay softer than its brick so moisture moves through the joints, not the brick faces. Strong modern cement on soft Victorian brick reverses that — the brick becomes the sacrificial element and spalls. It's the most common well-intentioned mistake on older stacks, and matching the mix avoids it.

Can repointing fix the damp on my chimney breast? +

If porous, open-jointed brickwork is the entry route — yes, and it often is. But flaunching, flashings and open pots produce identical symptoms, so we check the whole stack before promising pointing will cure it. Fixing the wrong element leaves you damp and poorer.