Chimney Inspection
Cap, crown, brick, flashing and the flue inside, checked and written up.
Repointing and tuckpointing
Chimney Repointing in Ottawa, ON
Ottawa Precision Chimney Sweep does chimney repointing in Ottawa, ON for brick chimneys with crumbling or missing mortar. Repointing, also called tuckpointing, means chiselling out the old mortar and filling the joints with new mortar that matches the colour. It keeps water from soaking the brick, and it is the best money you can spend on a brick chimney before it starts to lose its faces.
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Mortar Is Meant to Wear Out First
Mortar is the soft part of a brick wall. It is supposed to wear down before the brick does, and every thirty to fifty years it needs replacing. Once the joints turn to sand, water gets behind the bricks and freezes, and the face of each brick starts to peel off, which is a lot more expensive to fix.
Ottawa Precision Chimney Sweep also provides repointing and parging to Ottawa and nearby towns, including Nepean, Orleans, Kanata, Manotick and Carp. Most chimneys take one to three days, and we put up scaffolding on any stack that is tall or steep.
Contact UsTypes of Chimney Repointing We Do
How much we do depends on how far the damage has spread. We tell you after one look, with photos.
Spot Repointing
Only the bad joints get replaced, usually near the top of the chimney where the weather hits hardest. It costs the least and makes sense when most of the mortar is still sound.
Full Chimney Repointing
Every joint above the roof gets chiselled out and refilled. This is the right job when the mortar has gone all over, and it resets the clock for another thirty years or more.
Colour-Matched Tuckpointing
Old brick was often laid with a coloured or a thin white joint. We mix test patches and let you pick before we go on, so the repair blends in instead of standing out.
Repointing With a Crown and Cap
A chimney with failing mortar often has a failing crown too. We repoint, fix the crown and fit a cap in one visit, so the water that ruined the mortar has nowhere to go.
What Chimney Repointing Costs in Ottawa
- Spot repointing, top few courses: $700 to $1,400
- Full repointing, above the roof, one storey: $1,400 to $2,600
- Full repointing, two-storey chimney: $2,200 to $3,500
- Scaffolding on tall chimneys: quoted with the job
- Crown and cap added at the same visit: priced separately
Prices are before HST and depend on the number of joints and the height.
What Every Repointing Job Includes
- Old mortar chiselled out to about twice the joint width
- Joints cleaned and wetted before filling
- Mortar mixed softer than the brick
- A test patch of colour before we start
- Joints tooled to match the original look
- Scaffolding or ladders and a tidy roof at the end
How Much Does Chimney Repointing Cost in Ottawa?
Chimney repointing in Ottawa costs $700 to $3,500 in 2026. A few bad joints at the top of a bungalow chimney sit at the low end, and a full repoint of a tall two-storey chimney with scaffolding sits at the top. The number of joints and how high up they are set the price.
| Repointing | Typical price | Time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Spot repointing | $700 to $1,400 | One day |
| Full repointing, one storey | $1,400 to $2,600 | 1 to 2 days |
| Full repointing, two storeys | $2,200 to $3,500 | 2 to 3 days |
We price by the joint count and the height, not by a flat guess. We have repointed about 70 chimneys since 2015. Photos of the chimney, front and back, let us give a close number before we visit, and the written price after we climb up is the final one.
How Do I Know My Chimney Needs Repointing?
Scrape a joint with a key. If sand or crumbs come out, or the mortar sits deep behind the face of the brick, the joints have worn out. White powder on the brick and bricks that feel loose are the other signs. Check after the spring thaw, when the damage is easiest to see. We have repointed about 70 chimneys since 2015, and we've found that most owners wait a winter too long.
What Does Efflorescence Mean?
Efflorescence is the white powder you see on brick when water carries salts to the surface and leaves them behind. A little is normal on a new chimney. On an old one it means water is moving through the brick, and that usually means bad mortar, a bad crown or a missing cap.
What Is the Difference Between Repointing and Tuckpointing?
In Ottawa people use the two words for the same job: chiselling out old mortar and filling the joints with new. Strictly, tuckpointing is a finer method with two colours of mortar to imitate thin joints. For a chimney, the work and the price are the same, so either word gets you the same quote.
How Deep Does the Old Mortar Get Chiselled Out?
About twice the width of the joint, and at least 12 mm (half an inch). Anything shallower and the new mortar pops out in a few winters. Going deeper than needed weakens the brick, so we measure as we go, and we never grind the edges of the bricks, because that leaves them looking raw.
Why Does the Mortar Have to Be Softer Than the Brick?
Because the softer material takes the wear. When a hard modern cement is packed into old, soft brick, the brick cracks first, when it should be the mortar. We mix a mortar that gives before the brick does. An old brick chimney repointed with the wrong mix can look fine and fail within five years.
Can Repointing Be Done in Winter?
Not well. Mortar needs temperatures above about 5 degrees C to cure, and the freeze-thaw swings between November and April can ruin a fresh joint. We book repointing for late April through October, and we cover the work if the weather turns while it sets. Every time we have rushed it in cold weather, we have regretted it.
How Long Does Repointing Last?
A properly done repoint lasts 30 years or more. The chimney top takes the worst of the weather, so those joints may need a touch-up first. We take photos of every face when we finish, so you can compare in ten years and see what has changed.
A Written Price First
We climb up, look, and send you the price in writing. If a chimney needs nothing but a sweep, that is all you pay for.
Contact UsWETT Reports, Arranged for You
Insurers and buyers sometimes ask for one on a wood stove or insert. We arrange it with a partner inspector.
Contact UsQuestions we hear
Chimney Repointing FAQs
How long does chimney repointing take?
Most chimneys take one to three days, depending on height and the number of joints. A bungalow stack can be done in a day, and a tall two-storey chimney takes two or three, including scaffolding. Mortar needs time to set between steps, so the job can't be rushed.
Do I need scaffolding to repoint my chimney?
On a tall or steep roof, yes. Scaffolding means the crew works with both hands free, and the work comes out better. On a low bungalow we can often work from a roof ladder and a harness. We tell you which when we write the price.
Can I just fill the cracks with caulk?
No. Caulk peels, traps water and has to be redone in a year or two. Proper mortar bonds with the brick and breathes. We have repaired plenty of chimneys where a tube of caulk made the problem worse, and the fix cost more than doing it right at the start.
Will the new mortar match the old?
Close, and we show you test patches first. Old mortar has weathered and darkened, so no new batch matches on day one. The new joints mellow over a season or two. If your original joints were coloured, we match the tint as well.
Our Other Chimney Services
Chimney Liner Installation
A new pipe inside the old flue for stoves, inserts and furnaces.
Chimney Cap Installation
Caps, rain caps and chase covers that keep water and animals out.
Chimney Crown Repair
The concrete lid on top of the brick, sealed or rebuilt.
Chimney Rebuild
Partial and full rebuilds, and chimney removal when it's time.
Chimney Leak Repair
Flashing, crown and cap fixed where the water is really getting in.
Free estimate
Tell Us About Your Chimney
Leave your name, number and a line about the chimney. We call back to set up a look, and the written price follows.
- Written price before any work
- Free estimates around Ottawa
- Drop sheets and a tidy finish every visit