Local chimney crown repair for Atlantic Beach homes

Coat it or recast it? A free crown inspection tells Atlantic Beach homeowners which one their crown needs, and why.

Fully licensed and insured
Locally owned
Family owned and operated
Same-day service

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Get a quote for chimney and fireplace repair and installation in Jacksonville.

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(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Chimney crown pros who check before they seal or recast

Locally owned in Jacksonville
Family owned and operated
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Free inspection and estimate
Same-day service available
10% off any service

You get the cure time in writing, so you know when the fireplace in Atlantic Beach can be used again.

Free inspection and estimateWe map the cracks on your Atlantic Beach crown and check the brick under it at no charge.
Upfront pricing, no hidden feesCoating and recasting are both priced on paper, so you see the difference before choosing.
100% satisfaction guaranteedIf the finished crown is not right, tell us and we come back to put it right.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

A crown that was coated before

Some crowns we see have already been coated, sometimes more than once. A coating that is still flexible and gripping the surface can take a fresh coat after cleaning. One that has peeled, blistered or cracked along with the concrete underneath has to come off before anything new goes on.

An old coating on a chimney in Atlantic Beach gets tested for grip, and we look underneath where it has lifted. If the concrete below has broken up, the earlier coating was covering a crown that needed replacing, and the estimate says so. Coatings that failed early also tell us what not to repeat. Cracks on top of the chimney in Atlantic Beach? Our masons tell you coat or recast after one look, so call (904) 920-5495.

In the 2020 Census, Atlantic Beach counted 13,513 residents. Atlantic Beach reaches the coastline.

What our crown work covers in Atlantic Beach

Cracks mapped and measured before any repair is chosen
Bond break sealed around each flue tile
Fresh concrete kept damp and covered while it cures
Chimney cap refastened once the new crown can hold it

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How crown repair runs

Crack map from the roof
We identify the type of top and sketch each crack with its width, so the choice between coating and recasting is based on what is there.
Prep for coating or removal
A sound crown is cleaned and its wider cracks filled; a failed one is broken out down to sound brick.
Coat, or form and pour
The coating is brushed on in dry weather, or new concrete goes into forms with an overhang, a drip groove and reinforcement.
Cure, seal and refit the cap
The bond break at each flue is sealed, the concrete cures under cover, and the cap goes back on.

Crown coatings where salt air reaches Atlantic Beach

Salt deposits left on a crown in Atlantic Beach hold moisture on the surface between rains. On a sound slab, a flexible crown coating keeps that moisture out of the hairline cracks.

We brush the coating on only after the crown is washed clean and dry, inside the temperature range on the maker's data sheet.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Your Atlantic Beach crown estimate lists the 10% discount separately, so you can check the math.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Why a new crown does not go over a failed one

A thin layer of new concrete poured over a cracked mortar wash can look like a quick fix. It keeps the problems of the old top: the cracks underneath, the moisture trapped in the old material, and the missing bond break at the tile. Cracks in the old top tend to show through the new layer within a short time.

We take the failed top off and cast a full crown on sound masonry. It is more work on the day, and worth it, because an overlay that fails puts you back where you started with less to work with.

Feathered edges and why they break

A mortar wash tends to be thick near the flue and thin toward the edge of the chimney, sometimes to almost nothing. The BIA technical note on chimneys tells builders not to thin a cap out to its edge, since that thin margin has almost no strength and goes first.

That thin edge cracks, lifts and falls away in flakes, which can be the first sign of trouble anyone notices from the ground. Once it goes, water runs straight onto the top of the brick. A cast crown keeps its full thickness to the edge and overhangs the brick instead. That edge is also where the drip groove lives.

What the yearly check looks for on a crown

Under NFPA 211, a chimney gets a yearly soundness check, and the crown is one of the parts that check looks at closely. We note new cracks, cracks that have widened since last time, the state of the bond break at each tile, and the condition of any coating.

A crown caught with a few new hairline cracks can be coated in an afternoon. The same crown left for several years can need recasting and new brick under it. The yearly record, with the crack map from the last visit, is what makes that comparison possible. We keep that map on file for the next visit.

Measured on the crown in Atlantic Beach before pricing

Bond break material around each flue tile
Chimney cap removal and reinstallation, with how it is fastened
Cure time before the cap goes back and the fireplace is used
Debris removal from the roof and gutters after the work

Before your crown is coated or recast

When does a crown coating need to be redone?

The coating maker's data sheet gives the guidance, and the yearly check tells us in practice. A coating that has stayed flexible and firmly attached can be left; one that has cracked or peeled is cleaned off and renewed.

Will a new crown fix my leak?

It fixes a leak that is coming through the crown. If the water is entering at the flashing, the brick or the flue top, a new crown will not stop it, which is why we trace the entry point first.