Chimney crown repair in Middleburg by local masons

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

Family owned and operated
Free inspection and estimate
Same-day service available
Upfront pricing, no hidden fees

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

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

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Why Choose Us

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 when you book today

Hairline cracks on a sound slab get sealed, which keeps the job smaller and the price lower.

Free inspection and estimateWe map the cracks on your Middleburg 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

Why crowns crack at the flue corners

Cracks that start at the corners of the flue tile and run outward to the edge of the crown tell a specific story. The tile heats, grows and pushes against the crown, and a crown with no bond break has nowhere to relieve that push but through the concrete.

Sealing those cracks on your Middleburg crown without dealing with the joint at the tile leaves the cause in place. The repair either opens a proper bond break around the tile or, if the crown is too far gone, replaces the crown with the bond break built in. Cracks on top of your Middleburg chimney? Our masons inspect crowns for free, so call (904) 920-5495.

Middleburg is about 24 miles from Jacksonville in a straight line. Middleburg lies within Clay County.

What's Included

Crown work from crack map to cure

Cracks mapped and measured before any repair is chosen
Reinforcement placed inside the slab to control cracking
Chimney cap refastened once the new crown can hold it
Coat or recast decision for your Middleburg crown in writing

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

How It Works

Map, prep, coat or pour, cure

Crown checked from the roof
We look at the slab, the brick right under it and the seal around each flue, then write down the option that fits with its price.
Old top cleaned or torn off
For a coating, the crown is cleaned and the wider cracks filled. For a recast, the old top comes off down to sound brick.
Coating brushed on or crown poured
A coating goes on in dry weather inside the maker's temperature range. A recast is formed with a slope, an overhang, a drip groove and a sealed joint at every flue.
Curing, then the cap goes back
New concrete stays covered and damp while it cures. The cap is refastened once the crown can hold it, and we show you the finished top.

Local Conditions

Thin mortar tops on chimneys in Middleburg

Some chimneys in Middleburg have a mortar wash troweled around the flue instead of a cast crown. It thins to almost nothing at the edge, and that edge is the first part to break away.

When we find one, the estimate proposes a cast crown with an overhang and explains why a new skim would fail the same way.

10% off your first service when you book today

A first crown coating or recast with us comes 10% off. Just ask when you call.

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.

Fastening the cap to a new crown

A chimney cap has to be held down against wind, and how it is held matters to the crown. Screws driven down through the crown make holes that need sealing and can let water into the core of the chimney.

Where the cap design allows, its mount grips the flue tile instead, leaving the concrete with no holes in it. Where a cap must be fixed to the crown, the fasteners go in only after the concrete can take them, into sealed holes, and how the cap is attached is recorded. A cap that has worked loose before is checked for why.

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.

Free Inspection

Coat or recast, and the reasons

Repair method chosen, coating, patch or recast, with the reason
Overhang, drip groove and slope for the new crown
Bond break material around each flue tile
Rain protection for fresh concrete while it sets

FAQ

Crown repair questions from Middleburg

Does crown work mean the chimney cap comes off?

For a recast, yes. For a coating, it depends on how the cap is mounted. The estimate says which applies to your chimney.

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.

Our Services