National Average Improvement and Repair Cost
Pro
DIY
Hours:
28
36
Cost:
$ 849
$ 175
Would you do this project? According to our survey, 33% of respondents preferred DIY compared to hiring a pro.
The average price to Tuckpoint a Chimney noted above is cost data to compare a contractor’s estimate with doing it yourself.
How much does tuckpointing a chimney cost? A cement contractor charges $849 to tuckpoint a chimney but a DIYer can do the job for $175.
The tuckpointing between brick joints in a chimney is important, although it’s hardly on the mind of most homeowners. But it should be because loose, crumbling mortar between the brick joints of a chimney indicates that exposure to weather extremes has taken its toll, so it’s a good idea to inspect it once a year.
Tuckpointing is the process of repairing mortar brick joints, and it’s an important preventive maintenance project. If mortar is left unchecked and continues to disintegrate, you’ll need expensive replacement work down the road, so when you see signs of loose mortar, don’t hesitate to fix it or get it fixed.
A mason or handyman will charge $849 to repoint loose chimney mortar on a good-sized chimney, about 150 square feet, which includes the labor and material; but you can do the job for $175, which covers the cost of the materials and renting the scaffolding needed. The project involves repointing or replacing mortar in the horizontal and vertical joints with a mortar mix.
First the joint is cleaned out and all the loose mortar and dirt are removed, then the joint is moistened and new mortar is applied in the joint to provide a permanent seal. To carry and hold mortar while you’re working with it you can buy a metal hawk board or make one with a simple scrap piece of plywood that’s about 12-inches square. Nail it to the end of a short piece of dowel for a handle and you’re good to go.
Climbing up to the roof of a two-story house to inspect and repair a chimney can be dicey and dangerous even for the most sure-footed, so we recommend hiring out this job despite potential savings of 79 percent by doing it yourself. However, on a one-story house with a small chimney that’s accessible and easy to work on from a ladder or low scaffold, it’s doable for a handy homeowner.
Here are instructions about how to repair a chimney from Quikrete Repoint a Chimney.
That sums it up. Knowing the average cost to tuckpoint a chimney lets you compare doing it yourself with what you can expect to pay a contractor.
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