DIYbanter - View Single Post - Tuck-Pointing a Fireplace Pulling from House

wrote:
The brick fireplace chimney on my mother's 32 year-old home is in
need
of repair badly, and since I parged her foundation last summer, I
want
to get started on repairing the fireplace.

I never did tuck-pointing before, and it seems one of those
pain-in-the-butt type time-consuming jobs. If anyone has any tips to
make the job easier, I'd appreciate hearing about it here.

Also, the chimney lists about an inch away from the rest of the brick
fascia (of the house). I obviously can't glue it back. I'd like
suggestions on the best "adhesive mortar" to use for this job.

There are at least two problems.
For repointing the masonry:
Check out BIA (Brick Industry of America) Tech Notes section.
Pay attention to directions on preparing mortar.

For the "listing" chimney:
There is a foundation problem which will continue until the weight of
the masonry topples.
Movement in the chimney is allowing water penetration where the brick
separates.
This will eventually lead to damage of the building structure.
If the chimney is / was attached to flashing at the roof, that is being
pulled apart.
This allows more water into the house.

I would take a good close look at the chimeny from foundation to roof,
then call an architect or engineer to suggest a fix.

TB