Chimney repointing in Pompton Plains, NJ
Starting at the top, where the damage starts.
The photo is the before: eroded joints in the upper courses, a cracked crown, and the old cap that was replaced as part of the job.
FlueRite repoints brick chimneys in Pompton Plains, cutting out eroded mortar joints and packing them with new mortar so the chimney sheds water instead of soaking it up. On this job the joints had worn back across the upper courses of the chimney, so we repointed them and replaced the old cap with a new one.
- Location
- Pompton Plains (Pequannock), NJ 07444
- Work done
- Chimney repointing and a new chimney cap
- Chimney
- Brick, with corbelled courses near the top
- Permit
- None required for masonry or cap work in NJ
- Season
- Fall 2026
Why the top of a chimney fails first
The upper courses of a chimney take more weather than any other masonry on the house. They are exposed on all four sides, they get rain blown into them from every direction, and they sit above the roof with nothing to shelter them from freeze and thaw.
Decorative courses make it worse. The corbel near the top of this chimney, where the brick steps out, creates small ledges that hold water and snow. The joints around those ledges are almost always the first to go.
Reading this chimney
The joints. In the upper courses the mortar has eroded well back from the face of the brick, and some joints have opened up almost entirely. Lower down, the joints are rough but still holding.
The crown. The concrete crown on top has a crack running across it. A cracked crown lets water straight down into the top of the masonry, which feeds the joint damage below, so it is worth sealing or repairing along with the joints.
The cap. The old cap was weathered and due for replacement, so a new cap went on as part of the same job.
Pompton Plains chimneys
Pompton Plains sits on the flat ground along the Pompton and Pequannock rivers, and much of its housing went up in the decades after the war: capes, ranches and colonials, most with a single brick chimney. Those chimneys are now well past the age when exposed mortar needs attention.
Winters here bring the same freeze-thaw cycles as the rest of North Jersey, and every freeze works a little further into joints that are already open.
Doing the cap and the joints together
Repointing the top of a chimney means working right around the cap and the crown. Replacing a worn cap at the same time makes sense: the old one comes off, the joints underneath get proper attention, and the new cap goes on over sound masonry.
A good cap also protects the repair. With rain kept out of the flue and off the top of the chimney, the new joints up top take less water in the years ahead.
How we repoint
Ground out to solid mortar. Eroded mortar is ground out to a consistent depth so the new mortar has something solid to bond to.
Mortar softer than the brick. Older brick like this needs mortar that will give before the brick does. Mortar that is too hard pushes the damage into the brick faces instead.
Extra care at the corbels. The ledges and stepped courses are packed and tooled so they shed water rather than holding it.
Repointing questions from Pompton Plains homeowners
Why is only the top of my chimney crumbling?
The top of a chimney gets the most water and the most freeze-thaw, and decorative courses hold water on their ledges. It is normal for joint damage to start in the top few feet and work its way down.
Can a cracked chimney crown be repaired?
Hairline cracks can often be sealed with a crown repair coating. A crown that is broken through or crumbling usually needs to be rebuilt. Either way, it is worth dealing with along with any repointing, since water coming through the crown feeds the damage below it.
Should I replace my chimney cap when I repoint?
If the cap is rusted, loose or missing mesh, yes. It has to come off to work properly around the top of the chimney anyway, and a new one protects the fresh mortar.
What is the difference between tuckpointing and repointing?
In everyday use the terms mean the same thing: removing worn mortar from the joints and replacing it with new. Strictly, tuckpointing adds a contrasting mortar line for appearance, which is rare on chimneys.
How can I tell if my chimney needs repointing?
Look at the joints from the ground or in a zoomed-in phone photo. If the mortar sits noticeably behind the face of the brick, looks sandy, or has opened up in places, it needs attention.
Do you serve all of Pequannock Township?
Yes, Pompton Plains and the rest of Pequannock, along with Butler, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park and the surrounding Morris County towns.
Mortar wearing away up top?
Send us a photo of the top of your chimney or book an inspection. We look at the joints, crown and cap together and tell you what needs doing now and what can wait.
Is the top of your chimney wearing away?
We repoint to sound mortar and replace worn caps in the same visit. Pompton Plains, Pequannock, Butler and the rest of Morris County.
CSIA Certified · NJ HIC #13VH14202300 · Serving Pompton Plains & Morris County