Does Your Chimney Need a Facelift? Summer is the Perfect Time for an Upgrade

A chimney facelift can be a great home remodeling project, and summer is the perfect time to get it done. Once summer is over, chimney professionals’ schedules tend to stay busy with chimney cleaning, chimney repair, chimney inspections, and the whole gamut of chimney services as homeowners prepare for winter. It’s much more fun to schedule a whole new look for your chimney, though a new chimney liner may be required as part of the project. The following are some ideas for chimney upgrades that you may not have considered before.

Stucco

If your home exterior is stucco, you can add a stucco finish to your existing chimney. You start by building a wooden frame around the chimney and secure it to the roof. A base for the stucco is needed, and plywood or oriented strand board with the appropriate tarpaper and chicken wire works well. You then apply stucco. A colored dye should be added to the stucco so that it matches the exterior of the home.

Faux Stone

If you have a home in the country and your home has a stained wood finish, a beautiful chimney upgrade would be one with faux stone. There are many styles of faux materials available to achieve the look that’s a throwback to the days of early settlers. Options include river rock, concrete block, brick panels, stacked stone panels, limestone panels, and fieldstone. Cut panels to fit using a skill saw. 

Wood 

A chimney remodel can also involve framing out your existing chimney with a wood frame. It is important to follow local building codes to ensure the new chimney is up to safety standards. Before the work of adding a wooden chimney exterior is completed, new flashing should be added underneath the wood planks to create a waterproof seal with the rooftop.

Paint the Masonry

The porous nature of bricks makes them a good, if not challenging, surface for the application of paint. It’s best to use a paint sprayer because of the porosity of the bricks. The entire process is simple, and the following is a brief overview of the steps involved with painting your chimney:

• Clean the brick to remove dirt and other debris so that the paint will be able to adhere to the surface.
• If any mortar is missing, tuckpointing should be done before starting the painting. Tuckpointing involves removing the expired mortar and replacing it with fresh mortar. Allow the new mortar to dry fully before painting begins.
• Lay down a drop cloth all around the chimney base to prevent getting paint on your roof.
• Use the appropriate type of paint, which may mean you need a high-temperature paint, particularly if you have a wood-fueled stove or a furnace.
• First paint with a primer.
• Paint the chimney, spraying the bricks generously. After the paint dries, add another coat if the color is lighter than you want.

Contact Chimney Saver Solutions

The experts at Chimney Saver Solutions are trusted professionals in Richmond VA and the surrounding area. Whether you want a chimney upgrade with any of the above suggestions or prefer a fireplace remodel with a new surround, give us a call at 804-440-5000. Remember to plan your fireplace or chimney upgrade in summer, before chimney sweeps enter their seasonal rush, if possible.