Chimney Brickwork Repointing — Wickford

The homeowner had noticed damp patches appearing on the chimney breast in the top bedroom after heavy rain. From the ground the stack looked sound, but a close inspection showed the mortar joints had eroded up to 15mm deep on the weather-facing side, letting water soak straight into the brickwork.

Chimney brickwork repointing on a Wickford (SS11) semi-detached property. Eroded joints on an exposed stack are one of the most common causes of internal damp we see in Wickford — the chimney takes the full force of driving rain from the south-west with nothing sheltering it. Rather than render or cap the stack, we repointed it properly so the brickwork can still breathe. The failing joints were raked back, repointed with matching mortar and weather-struck, and the aerial was re-secured on completion. Repointing at this stage typically adds 15–20 years to a stack and costs a fraction of a full rebuild.

• Scaffold-free access via roof ladders and a tower, with the working area sheeted to protect tiles below
• Raked out all failed mortar joints on the exposed faces of the stack to a sound depth
• Brushed and dampened the joints so the new mortar cured evenly instead of drying out too fast
• Repointed with a colour-matched sand and cement mix, weather-struck so rain runs off the joint
• Re-bedded loose brickwork at the top course and sealed around the flaunching
• Re-secured the TV aerial on new stainless brackets and left the roof and driveway swept clean