Local chimney waterproofing for Ponte Vedra Beach homes

Waiting after the joints are repointed

New mortar in a joint is still hardening and still giving off water for days after it is placed. Coating it too soon can interfere with that cure and lock the moisture in. BIA's pre-coating checklist sets a floor of 72 hours for freshly repointed mortar and repaired sealant joints, and the maker of the repellent we use sets the same interval after tuckpointing or other repairs.

On a chimney that has just been repointed, treatment is therefore booked as a separate visit. Writing the cure period on the estimate keeps anyone from spraying on the same afternoon the trowels are put away.

Repellent does not seal the roof joint

The roof joint around a chimney is sealed with metal: step flashing woven into the roof covering and counterflashing let into the masonry above it. When that metal lifts, rusts or loses its seal, water runs down between the chimney and the roof framing, without touching the brick faces a repellent protects. Stains on a ceiling near the chimney, or wet framing in the attic beside it, send us to the flashing before any treatment is priced. Flashing repair is its own job, and damage to the roof covering itself is referred to a roofer.

Cleaning the brick before treatment

A repellent has to reach the pores, and anything sitting on the surface blocks it. BIA's note is plain that the wall must be clean when the product goes on, since heavy dirt reduces penetration and shortens the life of the treatment. Chimney brick is cleaned gently: loose salt brushed off dry, dirt and growth scrubbed with a stiff fiber brush and water, and cleaning products used only where the brick maker's guidance allows them. Pressure washing at high settings can drive water deep into the brick and damage joints, and it adds days of drying before treatment can start.