How do I know if my brick chimney needs repointing?

If you see recessed, crumbling, or powdery mortar joints between the bricks, loose bricks near the top courses, white mineral staining (efflorescence), or water dampness around the fireplace or attic chimney chase, it is time to grind out the failed mortar and repoint the chimney.

Do you just smear mortar over the surface, or do you grind out the joints?

Surface smearing cracks and falls out after one freeze-thaw cycle. We mechanically grind or chisel out deteriorated mortar to a clean, uniform depth, rinse the joints, and pack fresh, properly matched mortar in layers before tooling a weather-shedding joint profile.

What kind of foundation repairs do you perform?

We repair cracked, spalling, or bowing concrete block, brick, and poured masonry foundations, repoint deteriorated foundation mortar joints, apply fiber-reinforced exterior parge coats, seal bulkhead and utility penetrations, and resolve exterior water intrusion issues.

Chimney Repointing & Foundation Repair in New Castle, DE

Brick Chimney Repointing & Foundation Repair in New Castle & Wilmington, DE

Freeze-thaw winters and driving rain in Northern Delaware take a heavy toll on brick chimneys and masonry foundations. Mortar softens, cracks, and washes out long before the brick or block itself wears out. Left unaddressed, open mortar joints let water saturate the masonry, spall brick faces, rot adjacent framing, and leak into your attic or basement.

Royal Renovators performs thorough chimney repointing (tuckpointing) and structural/masonry foundation repair throughout New Castle, Wilmington, Newark, Claymont, Bear, and surrounding Delaware communities.

See Crumbling Mortar or Foundation Cracks? Call Joseph at (302) 761-3109 for an on-site masonry and foundation inspection.

Chimney Repointing, Crown & Flashing Services

Deep Mortar Grinding & Repointing (Tuckpointing): We never smear a thin patch of mortar over crumbling joints. We grind and chisel out failed mortar to a solid depth, flush out dust, and pack fresh, properly matched mortar tightly into the joints with weather-shedding concave tooling.
Loose & Spalled Brick Replacement: Removing cracked, flaking, or frost-heaved bricks near the top of the chimney stack and relaying new masonry units plumb and level.
Chimney Crown Repair & Resurfacing: Repairing cracked concrete/mortar chimney crowns that allow water to pour down between the flue liner and brick chimney chase.
Step Flashing & Counter-Flashing Integration: Because we are both roofers and masons, we cut and reglet proper counter-flashing into the mortar joints as well as repairing the roof step flashing below.

Foundation Repair & Exterior Masonry Waterproofing

Stair-Step & Horizontal Mortar Crack Repair: Grinding out and structurally repointing cracked mortar joints in concrete block, brick, and stone foundations.
Damaged Block & Parging Restoration: Resetting or rebuilding deteriorated foundation block corners, applying fiber-reinforced structural parge coats, and sealing porous above-grade and below-grade masonry walls.
Water Intrusion & Drainage Remediation: Stopping water seepage at basement windows, bulkheads, sill plates, and foundation wall penetrations — and pairing masonry repairs with proper gutter/downspout drainage above.

Chimney Repointing & Foundation Repair in New Castle & Wilmington, DE