Columbus, OH & surrounding areas
Chimney & Masonry Repair
Tuckpointing, brick replacement, and rebuilds — above and below the roofline.
- We don't quote a repair we haven't seen
- Tuckpointing, brick replacement, and rebuilds
- Before & after photos from our own jobs
- 4.4 on Google
- Free in-home estimates
- Fully insured
- Warranty up to 1 year
- Free drone inspection
Get a call back
Tell us what's going on. We'll call you back to set a time.
Masonry fails from the outside in, and it fails because of water. Mortar joints go porous, water soaks into the brick, then it freezes or carries salts through the wall. A joint you can scrape out with a house key becomes a stack that has to come down and go back up. It's a slow failure with obvious warning signs — if somebody's looking.
Signs you'd notice
- Crumbling mortar joints, or mortar you can scrape out with a key
- Brick faces flaking, popping, or shedding chips onto the roof
- Visible gaps, leaning, or separation where the chimney meets the house
- Pieces of masonry in the gutters or on the ground
- White chalky staining on the brick
What happens on the visit
- 1
Find out how far it's gone
There's a real difference between repointing the top three feet and rebuilding from the roofline. Inspecting the whole stack — including by drone when useful — keeps the recommendation tied to its actual condition.
- 2
Tuckpointing
We grind out failed joints back to sound material and pack in fresh mortar matched to the original. Skipping the grinding and smearing new mortar over old is the shortcut that fails in two years.
- 3
Replace spalled brick
Damaged units come out and matching brick goes in. Every spalled face left in place gives water a new way in, so partial fixes don't hold.
- 4
Rebuild when repair won't hold
If the stack has moved, separated, or lost too much material, we take it down to sound masonry and rebuild. We'll tell you which side of that line you're on.
- 5
Seal it so it stops happening
Fresh masonry gets a breathable water repellent. Breathable matters — a sealer that traps moisture inside the brick does more damage than no sealer at all.
Why it matters
A chimney is a heavy, rigid column of masonry attached to your house and exposed to weather on all four sides. When it deteriorates it doesn't just leak — it loses structural integrity, and in the worst cases it sheds material onto a roof or a driveway. Repointing on schedule is one of the highest-return maintenance items on a house.
Recent work
What the work looks like
Our own photos, from real Columbus-area jobs. Tap a project to see every photo.
Questions
Chimney Repair: what people ask us
What is tuckpointing?
It's replacing the mortar between the bricks without replacing the bricks. We grind out the failed joints back to sound material and pack in fresh mortar. Done at the right time it's straightforward maintenance. Left too long, water gets behind the brick face and you're rebuilding the stack instead of repointing it.
The brick faces are flaking off. Is that serious?
That's spalling, and yes, it's the clock running. Water gets absorbed into the brick, freezes, and can pop the face off. Every spalled brick exposes more surface for the next round. It doesn't reverse on its own: the damaged units get replaced and the masonry is protected so it stops happening.
What's the chalky white staining on my chimney?
Efflorescence — mineral salts carried to the surface by water moving through the masonry. The stain itself is harmless and washes off. What it tells you is not harmless: water is moving through your brick. Treat it as a symptom worth chasing, not a cosmetic problem.
Why does my chimney leak when it rains?
There are only a handful of ways water gets in, and they're all findable: a missing or damaged cap, a cracked crown at the top, failed flashing where the chimney meets the roof, or brick and mortar that have gotten porous enough to soak water straight through. The right repair depends on where the water enters, so the first step is finding the actual entry point.
Related
While we're up there
Chimney Sweeping
Creosote, soot, and blockages cleared out of your flue.
Chimney Inspections
A documented look at the whole system, firebox to crown.
Caps, Crowns & Chase Covers
The lid on your chimney. Keeps rain, leaves, and animals out.
Chimney Liners & Relining
A cracked or missing flue liner is a safety problem, not maintenance.
Get a free estimate on your chimney
Pick a day and a time window online, or call and talk to a person. The estimate is free, and the drone inspection is included.