Indulge us for a few seconds. We happen to find the word “spalling” fascinating. It tells a story that goes back to around 1400, when the word had a “d” in it. A spalding knife was used to splinter or chip. It comes from German or Dutch, which ties in nicely with the history of the Albany area. By 1758 the “d” was dropped and we started seeing the word “spalling”.
What does this have to do with brickwork?
Well, if words change so do bricks. Over the course of time, anything undergoes change. Brickwork gets worn and cracked and splintered from the onslaughts of wind, rain, ice, snow, sleet, freeze, thaw, heat — and time. Bricks subject to spalling show splitting, cracking and flaking. The masonry often deteriorates to the point of needing complete replacement.
What is to be done?
Northeastern Masonry & Chimney has lots of experience — successful experience — identifying and repairing spalled brickwork.
The first step of any remediation naturally involves evaluation and assessment. Your doctor can’t properly treat you unless the problem is accurately diagnosed. The same is true for your chimney brickwork.
Have Northeastern Masonry & Chimney’s qualified experts make a proper diagnosis regarding the condition of your chimney brickwork.
To prevent any fix from being a mere temporary Band-Aid, we need to find the underlying cause. When it comes to spalling, water intrusion is the main culprit. Moisture intrusion damages bricks, chimney linings or mortar.
We see this frequently at Northeastern Masonry & Chimney. Remedies might range from installing a chimney cap or top-mounted damper or applying a specially designed waterproofing sealant.
Applying this chimney waterproofing sealant takes skill. When properly applied, this material repels water while protecting the porousness of your masonry. Allowing your masonry to be permeable permits vapors and gases in your chimney to exit.
Have Northeastern Masonry & Chimney professionally apply the right kind of sealant to prevent the chief cause of spalling, moisture intrusion. Call Northeastern Masonry & Chimney at 518-767-9315 or make an appointment online today.
The point is, we simply do not know the causes of your spalling or its extent without an honest-to-goodness inspection. Let us eliminate the guesswork. Northeastern Masonry & Chimney is expert at finding a solution to the root cause. We’ll give you a professional diagnosis and suggest options to fix spalling based on our vast experience.
Granted, you may be fortunate. We might be discovering your spalling in its earliest stages. We might be able to identify the problem, fix the cause and repair the brickwork in short order. Your situation might be straightforward and simple. Perhaps only a few bricks need to be replaced. Northeastern Masonry & Chimney is not out to “spald” you. If we can spot your problem, eliminate the underlying cause and repair it, we will gladly do so in the most economical but long-lasting way. Every situation presents a new challenge. That’s what we like about our work, our brick work.