Tuckpointing chimneys in Switzerland by local masons

Family-owned masons scratch-test every face of your Switzerland chimney for free, then repoint only what has failed.

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

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Family-owned mortar specialists serving Switzerland

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

Water getting into the chimney from above is priced with the repointing, so new joints start dry.

Free inspection and estimateEvery face of your Switzerland chimney is scratch-tested and sketched at no charge.
100% satisfaction guaranteedIf the new joints are not sound, full and matched as agreed, we come back and fix them.
Family owned and operatedA family masonry crew does the survey and the work, so the person who priced a face is the one who repoints it.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

White crust on the joints

White, powdery crust on a chimney's joints and brick is often efflorescence, the residue salts leave once water has brought them out of the wall and dried off. Where it forms, water has been travelling inside the masonry.

The crust itself brushes off. What matters is where the water gets in, and open joints are one path. We look at the joints, the top of the chimney and the metal where it meets the roof before deciding what the repointing should cover. White deposits on your Switzerland chimney? Call (904) 920-5495 for a free inspection.

The county for Switzerland is St. Johns County. Switzerland sits away from the coastline.

Repointing work we do in Switzerland

Fresh work shaded, misted and covered from rain
Roof and yard protected, debris cleaned up
Brick faces brushed clean as we go
A repointing sketch of your Switzerland chimney, free

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Survey, rake, fill, tool

Every face surveyed
Joints are scratch-tested at several heights and the failed courses marked on a sketch.
Joints raked and cleaned
Old mortar comes out to sound depth, head joints by hand, then joints are cleaned and dampened.
Filled in layers and tooled
Matched mortar goes in stage by stage, then is tooled to the original profile.
Cured and cleaned up
Fresh joints are protected while they cure, the faces brushed and the roof cleared.

Storm season and joints in Switzerland

Hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, brings heavy rain inland too, and weak joints can wash out in a single storm.

If you see mortar crumbs below your Switzerland chimney after a storm, have the joints checked.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Sandy joints? Book the repointing within 72 hours of the survey and 10% comes off.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

How deep worn mortar is raked out

National Park Service Preservation Brief 2 ties raking depth to joint width. Take a joint 3/8 inch wide: its old mortar comes out at least 3/4 inch deep, roughly double its width or a little beyond, and deeper again where it is still loose. For typical brick joints, that lands around half an inch to an inch.

Too shallow, and the new mortar sits as a thin skin that falls out. Too deep without cause, and bricks lose support. We rake to sound mortar, square the back of the joint so the new fill has a flat surface to bond against, and check depth as we go rather than trusting one measurement.

Cleaning and dampening raked joints

Raking leaves dust and loose grit in the joint, and fresh mortar laid on that grit has nothing firm to hold. So each joint is brushed or blown clean down to firm mortar and brick.

Next the joint is dampened, because dry brick pulls water out of fresh mortar and weakens it. Preservation Brief 2 describes masonry that is damp but without standing water. On a hot day that may mean dampening again just ahead of the trowel. It is a small step that decides whether the new joint bonds or cracks loose. A joint that is still dusty when the trowel arrives is cleaned again, however long it takes.

Water repellent after repointing

Some chimneys benefit from a water repellent once the new mortar has cured. It has to be vapor permeable, so moisture inside the wall can still get out, and it is applied on the product maker's schedule, not the same day as the mortar.

A repellent does not fix open joints. It goes on after they are repointed, if at all. It is suggested only where the brick and its exposure point to a benefit, with the product written into the quote. Many chimneys need nothing more than sound joints and a dry top. If a product is recommended, you see its data sheet and the reason for it before agreeing.

Joint findings written down before pricing

Joint profile to match, tooled once the mortar has firmed
Interior or attic joints, with their own access and cleanup
Weather protection and curing for the new joints
Joints that can wait a season, and how to watch them

Repointing questions from Switzerland

Could the cracks simply be caulked?

Caulk or a thin skim over worn mortar has nothing solid to grip and falls away, often hiding deeper failure while it lasts. Raking and refilling the joint is the repair that holds.

Which mortar will you use?

A type from ASTM C270 picked for your brick and its exposure, normally weaker than the brick itself, in line with preservation guidance. The type is written on the estimate.