Chimney crown repair in Lake Geneva by local masons

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

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Locally owned
Family owned and operated
Same-day service

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(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Crown repair experts for Lake Geneva chimneys

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

The brick under the crown is checked too, because a new top on loose courses will not last.

Free inspection and estimateWe map the cracks on your Lake Geneva 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

Lining up other jobs with the crown

Other chimney jobs can line up with crown work. A new cap is easiest to fit on a new crown. A relined flue needs its top plate sealed to the crown. Flashing and repointing below the crown use the same access.

Several of those on one Lake Geneva chimney get sequenced from the top down, so nothing is disturbed twice, and each is its own line. You can still choose to do only the crown, and we point out what that leaves open. A single set of access, ladders and roof protection serves every line. If you hold an item back, you also hear whether its access would have to be set up again later. Call (904) 920-5495 with your Lake Geneva street, and we will book a dry-weather visit to the crown.

Lake Geneva is part of Clay County. Lake Geneva is an inland community.

Crown work from crack map to cure

Cracks mapped and measured before any repair is chosen
Forms set with an overhang past every face of the brick
Fresh concrete kept damp and covered while it cures
Roof and gutters cleared of crown debris at your Lake Geneva home

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How our crown specialists repair a crown in Lake Geneva

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.

Plain steel in crowns away from the coast

Away from salt, the steel inside a cast crown is at less risk of rusting, but it still needs its full cover of concrete. Steel lying on the brick or near the surface rusts from ordinary rain and splits the slab.

When we recast a crown in Lake Geneva, the reinforcement sits on supports within the thickness of the slab so the concrete surrounds it.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Seal or recast, crown repair in Lake Geneva earns the 10% discount.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Relaying the top courses before a new crown

The last few courses of brick under a crown take the most water when the crown fails, so they can be the loosest on the chimney. Brick that lifts by hand, joints that crumble, or faces that have flaked away mean those courses need relaying before a new crown goes on.

Relaying means taking the brick down, cleaning it or replacing damaged units, and laying it back level and plumb with fresh mortar. The new crown then sits on a firm, flat base. That work is listed separately from the crown, since it is a job in its own right.

Building the forms for a cast crown

A cast crown is shaped by its forms. Boards or form material are fixed around the top of the chimney, set out past each face by the planned overhang and level all the way round. A strip fixed to the underside of the form creates the drip groove.

Inside the forms, the top surface is shaped to slope from the flue tiles down to the edge on every side. The forms stay on until the concrete can hold its shape, and they come off without breaking the edge. The forms decide whether the finished crown sheds water or sits up there as a lump of concrete.

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 Lake Geneva before pricing

Crack map with widths, and whether the slab is still sound
Repair method chosen, coating, patch or recast, with the reason
Overhang, drip groove and slope for the new crown
Rain protection for fresh concrete while it sets

Before your crown is coated or recast

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.

Is there 10% off crown work?

There is. Crown coating or recasting booked within 72 hours of the free inspection comes 10% off; mention it when you book.