Tuckpointing – The Basics and Why your Chimneys Need It

A fireplace or a chimney adds to the beauty and design of a home. But, all homeowners will agree that maintaining a chimney and a fireplace needs regular repair. Over a period of time, mortar joints become loose and sometimes crack due to moisture.Masonry contractors in Hinsdale strongly advise that chimneys should be inspected by a reputed handyman service every two years in order to check if any tuckpointing is required. Neglect of maintenance can lead to bigger problems and sometimes the destruction is irreversible.

Let’s read a little more about the chimney basics –

1. Can Tuckpointing Be Avoided?

Mortar has a definite life span after which it needs rebooting. Depending on the prevailing weather in your area, your mortar can last up to 25 years. The roof layout and location of the chimney will also determine the strength of the mortar joints. Masonry contractors in Hinsdale advise that tuckpointing is the only sure shot method of increasing the life of a chimney and a fireplace.

2. What Is The Method Of Tuckpointing?

The basic aim of tuckpointing is to replace damaged mortar with fresh one. Tuckpointing is done as follows –

• Glass Replacement| 
• Grounding of damaged mortar
• Filling of new mortar in the grooves
• Cutting of strips in the fresh mortar
• Ensuring that the color of the fresh and old mortar matches

3. The Advantages of Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing ensures that the corrosion of mortar is controlled. It also strengthens the stability of the chimney. It prevents the water from entering the structure; water seepage can cause significant damage. Tuckpointing is much cheaper than rebuilding the whole structure. A home with a well designed and maintained chimney reflects on the personality and value of the building
 

Huge Living Spaces? Here’re Some Tips on Painting Walls

Painting a huge living space is much easier than painting 2-3 rooms separately. And, if you’re doing this alone, you need to follow some basic tips, which will help you in making the work complete faster and swifter.

By painting a house, you can elevate its grandeur instantly. And, if you’ve got a huge living space, painting it is surely going to change the whole outlook of the room. However, doing the chore isn’t as easy as said, and it does require precise mental calculations and physical labor than any other form of painting. 

So, here are a few tips house painting services in Chicago, which would help you in completing this uphill task with ease and finesse—

1) Choose the Color Wisely

This is the most important task while painting a huge living space. Since such rooms don’t allot for much mistakes, choose the color wisely. You may purchase tiny tins of your preferable hues and have a swatch of each on the main wall, preferably towards the floor. This will give you a fair idea of how the color is going to look in the room, how well it is synchronizing with the floor color and the rest.

2) Preparation for Painting

If you’ve got furniture in the room, instead of moving them out of the room, push them towards the centre. Cover them up with plastic sheets or tarp securely. After that, remove the earlier paint of the walls and make minor reparations (if need be) all at once, and then set out for painting the wall. Doing all these chores beforehand will save a lot of time and energy. 

3) Organize Everything Properly

Make sure you have all the tools that you’ll require in the course of painting your house, and this includes adequate tins of paints, rollers, brushes, rags, paper towels, etc. If your friends are helping you out, make sure they have a roller and a brush each.

4) Take Precautions

Many paints have toxic substances mixed in them which would result in breathing problem and likes. So, read all the ‘directions to use’ properly before setting out to work. You should also keep some towels or rags handy to cover your nose and mouth with, in case problems may arise.
 

Repairing Brick Wall Mortar with Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing is the safest method of repairing walls with damaged mortar.

Tuckpointing basically implies the removal of old or damaged mortar and application of new one.  It should be undertaken regularly to ensure that the structure of the building stays in good shape. If in Chicago, only hire well reputed tuckpointing contractors. A well experienced tuckpointing contractor will reach the site with all the necessary fools and safety equipment in place.

Let’s read a little more about tuckpointing walls -

1. Kinds of Tuckpointing

It can be broadly classified into two categories. In the first, mortar of two kinds is mixed to create an illusion of seams between the bricks. In the second damaged and old mortar is dug out and replaced with fresh one.

2. Tools for Tuckpointing

When tuckpointing is done on the walls, the brick repair specialist uses several tools. Mortar in the right shade is required so that visually no difference is noticeable. Specialists use a hammer, chisel, a stiff brush and a mortar grinder for this project. The mortar is applied with the help of a pointing trowel.

3. The Process Of Repair

Using the chisel and the hammer, the damaged and cracked mortar is removed. Care is taken to prevent any damage to the bricks. Once the mortar is removed and all loose fragments are brushed away with a stiff brush, a power hose can also be used to remove all debris and ensure that the bricks are clean.

4. Application of Mortar

Now using a trowel fresh mortar is applied to the gaps, while ensuring that all sections are leveled out.

5. Sealing of Mortar

To ensure that the freshly applied mortar sticks around for a long time, it is necessary to seal it with a silicone or acrylic masonry sealer. The application of this sealer is undertaken once the tuckpointing is complete.

Contact Fortune Restoration to get your Brick work & Tuckpointing  Estimate.