Give Your Chimney New Life
Whether it’s a new roof, new siding, or fresh paint, your home needs a refresh from time to time. Homes across the country are of varying ages with 11% of US homes being built before 1950. If your home has a chimney and was built before 1960, then it’s highly likely that it is not up to code. In addition, its age means that it could be in need of a visual facelift. Today, we want to share some tips to give your chimney new life.
Chimney liner
Metal chimney liners are necessary for keeping your home safe. A liner prevents dangerous gases from entering your home. It also protects the interior structure from receiving too much heat. The liner will also allow for easier removal of creosote, a by-product of burning wood. Older homes often have ceramic or less durable liners. Updating yours with a metal replacement can help increase safety as well as your home’s value.
Weather
The exterior of your chimney receives endless wear and tear. Rain, snow, sun, and temperature extremes can all cause various forms of damage to your masonry.
As a basic example, mortar starts to break down as it ages. This allows water to penetrate your chimney causing further deterioration. Over time, this will lead to loose bricks and potentially the collapse of the entire structure. A Northeastern Chimney technician can inspect your chimney and look for any of these issues. And if they find damage, they can repair or replace the affected area.
Settling
Houses settle. As the ground shifts around the foundation, cracks and other damage can start to appear on your chimney’s brick and mortar, cap, and crown. These holes, while sometimes tiny, can allow water, insects, debris, and other issues to enter your chimney. Once they’re in, they can cause any number of problems. Once again, an inspection is critical to discovering these potential problems early on and getting the necessary repairs taken care of before they escalate to larger issues.
Waterproofing
We’ve mentioned water damage a few times today. Water is essential to life, but not your chimney’s safe operation. The freeze and thaw cycle can play havoc with your chimney leading to quite a few headaches. To prevent this, a waterproof sealant should be applied to the chimney’s surface to keep moisture at bay.
New paint, mantle, whitewash
Giving your chimney new life can be as simple as giving it a facelift! You can easily repaint your hearth to update your room’s aesthetic. You can also add updated elements, maybe a piece of reclaimed wood as a new mantle or an antique surround to the hearth indoors. Outside, a coat of whitewash can update the look to match your desired exterior design.
The first step to giving your chimney new life is to schedule a cleaning and inspection.
Regular maintenance can catch issues while they are still small and correct them before they turn into a more dangerous and expensive problem.
This post first appeared on https://www.mychimney.com
