Common Questions

QUESTION: What is that fuzzy or chalky white stuff on the side of my chimney? (or house, building, etc.)

ANSWER: Efflorescence. The minerals from the masonry materials bleeding out of the brick. It generally means water has penetrated the surface somehow and has made its way to the affected area. If you gave these stains on one side of your chimney, we would be willing to bet that you have an unlined furnace flue running through your stack. Condensation is running up your chimney is bleeding out that side. If you are seeing stains on the inside of your house, above the fireplace then there is probably a failure in the flashing at the roof/chimney junction. If you are seeing water stains on the side of your house, water is somehow getting into the masonry surface above the affected area, or possibly at the roof line.

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QUESTION: How do I remove paint from brick?

ANSWER: Paint stripper and a pressure washer. Or, sand blasting. We suggest that it be done by a professional painting company or a masonry restoration company. Depending on the age of the structure, the type of brick the structure was laid up with, you can do far more damage than what it is worth. Also, some of the type of chemicals used require that the run off be contained and disposed of properly.

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QUESTION: How do I clean the face of the fireplace?

ANSWER: One of the most often asked questions. Actually, the most often asked question is; do we clean the face of fireplaces? No, we don't. Try a little detergent and a scrub brush...or call it "character and leave it alone."

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QUESTION: What do I do if my fireplace is smoking in the house?

ANSWER: There are chimneys throughout the northwest that have never been used. That is because they have never worked properly. A chimneys draw is a mathematical formula of the firebox with relation to the flue opening The best case scenario is that the height of the firebox needs to be lowered a few inches. In some cases the entire firebox needs to be reworked to make it smaller. Sometimes, but not often, the chimney height needs to be raised. Inexperienced masons often want to raise the height of the chimney thinking that is all they have to do. There are no hard and fast rules. A good mason starts with the obvious and works his way from there. The obvious first choice being examining the flue from top to bottom to make sure there is no blockage. And yes, we have a few embarrassing stories to tell on that one. I am not going to tell how many years it took me to figure out to pull my head out from the firebox before opening the damper.

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QUESTION: My chimney is leaking again! I have had it repaired, but it still leaks. What could be the problem?

ANSWER: There is no easy answer. There are a number of variables that come into the equation. Generally speaking, if water is showing itself in the walls, or the ceiling above the fireplace, then the problem is considered to be with the flashing. If the problem is in the flashing, then it can be one of two things, either the roof flashing (the flashing that comes up from under the roofing materials up the side of the chimney) is wrong, or the counter flashing (the flashing that comes from the masonry down over the roof flashing) is wrong. For either reason, water is getting behind the flashing, rolling down between the chimney and the roof and causing damage to the interior. The seal at this junction is absolutely critical. Sometimes all the flashing can be right, but because of the volume of water coming down to this point in the roof during a rain storm, causing a flooding at the junction, water is going to get in to the house. A restoration mason is in charge of making sure that the counter flashing is in place properly over the roof flashing. If your chimney has been rebuilt, that mason is also in charge of making sure that the roof flashing is in good working order. Sometimes that requires a roofer to inspect the job and work with the mason on the seal at this junction. Sometimes a carpenter must become involved in order to build a "cricket" at the area behind the chimney. A "cricket" is a mini gable built behind the chimney into the roof line to change the flow of water down the roof line into the gutters on either side of the chimney. Most of the time, however, water showing itself in these areas inside the house is simply a function of correcting the flashing system.
   Water showing itself on the inside of a chimney, in the firebox or at the basement level or base of the chimney - generally that means there is a fault in the masonry itself. Often times that is a failure at the top of the chimney in the crown somehow. The crown is the area at the top of the chimney that holds the clay flue pots in place. If that has failed, the chimney can get water. This is a problem that is relatively easy to fix.

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QUESTION: Do you do concrete work? Is that considered masonry?

ANSWER: Yes, we are capable of doing concrete work...when it is part of an overall brick or stone restoration job. However, we are not concrete masons. Concrete masons and brick masons are two different animals.

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QUESTION: Where can I find used brick?

ANSWER: Depends on the number you need. If you need a handful, come by our shop. At any one time we could gave tons of demo-ed brick sitting in our scrap pile. We make dump runs about every month, so we suggest that you call to find out what the "pile" looks like at any given moment. They are free for the taking. You have to clean them off somewhere else. If you need a lot of used brick we suggest that you contact a demolition contractor.

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QUESTION: Where can I find a good reference book for a do-it-yourselfer?

ANSWER: Mutual Materials, Lowe's hardware, or the local Home Depot. If you know how to use the internet and ask the right question you can get what you need on the web. Be careful though. If you make a mess of it that's it, there is nothing we, or you can do to clean the situation up.

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