Chimney Repair & Restoration
Chimney repair is any work that stops a chimney from breaking down, leaking or venting smoke the wrong way. Restoration goes further and brings an older chimney back to sound shape, often brick by brick. We do both, on 1950s brick chimneys in Lakewood and on factory-built chimneys in newer homes in Preston Hollow and North Dallas.
Every repair job follows the same steps:
- Inspect. We check the chimney from the roof and run a camera up the flue.
- Photograph. You get photos of each problem, so you can see what we see.
- Estimate. We give you a free written estimate with each repair listed and priced.
- Repair. We protect your roof, yard and living room, then do the work you approved.
- Show the result. You get after photos of the finished repair.
There is no pressure and no upselling. If a small fix will do, we say so. If a repair can safely wait a season, we say that too, so you can plan for it.
Why Dallas Chimneys Break Down
Dallas weather is hard on brick, mortar and metal. These are the causes we see most:
- Hail and spring storms. Hail cracks crowns, dents caps and chips brick. High winds can bend caps and lift flashing.
- Heat cycles. On summer afternoons a roof gets far hotter than the air, then cools at night. The crown and mortar expand and shrink every day, and small cracks grow.
- Foundation movement. Much of Dallas sits on expansive clay soil that swells when wet and shrinks in drought. When the house shifts, the chimney can crack, pull away from the wall or lean.
- Age. Many homes in Lakewood, Lake Highlands and the M Streets were built from the 1940s to the 1970s. Their mortar is soft and worn after decades of rain.
Signs your chimney needs repair:
- Water stains on the ceiling or wall next to the chimney
- Cracks in the crown, or white stains (efflorescence) on the brick
- Gaps or crumbling mortar between bricks
- Pieces of flue tile or brick falling into the firebox
- A chimney that leans or has a gap where it meets the house
- Rust on the damper, firebox or metal chase cover
Factory-built chimneys have their own weak spots. These metal flues sit inside a wood or siding chase, common in North Dallas homes built from the 1980s on. The chase cover on top rusts, dents in hail and can hold standing water. Once water gets past it, it runs down the inside of the chase, rots the framing and rusts the metal flue. A sound chase cover and good seals around the flue collar keep that from happening.
| Common repair | What it fixes | Typical time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Crown sealing or new crown | Cracks that let rain into the brick | One visit to two days |
| Flashing reseal or replacement | Leaks where the chimney meets the roof | One visit |
| Tuckpointing | Cracked or missing mortar joints | One to three days |
| New chimney cap or chase cover | Rain, animals and sparks in the flue | One visit |
| Stainless steel liner | Cracked flue tiles, new inserts, gas conversions | One to two days |
| Partial rebuild | Loose, leaning or water-damaged brick | Several days |
Chimney Crown Repair
The crown is the concrete slab on top of the chimney. It sheds rain away from the brick and the flue. A cracked crown is the most common source of chimney leaks we find. Small cracks can be sealed. A crown that is badly broken, or that was never built as a real crown, should be replaced. Learn more about repairing a cracked chimney crown.
Chimney Flashing Repair
Flashing is the metal that seals the gap where the chimney meets the roof. When it lifts, rusts or loses its sealant, rain runs straight into the attic. Our chimney flashing repair page explains step flashing, counter flashing and when resealing is enough.
Chimney Tuckpointing
Mortar wears out faster than brick. When the joints crack or fall out, water gets into the wall and bricks start to loosen. Tuckpointing the mortar joints means grinding out the old mortar and packing in new mortar that matches the color and strength of the original.
Chimney Relining
The flue liner protects your house from heat and keeps smoke and carbon monoxide inside the chimney. Cracked clay tiles, a new insert or a switch from wood to gas can all mean a new liner. We install stainless steel chimney liners sized to your fireplace or appliance.
Chimney Rebuild
When bricks are loose, the chimney leans, or water has damaged the masonry deep inside, patching will not hold. A partial or full chimney rebuild takes the chimney down to sound brick and builds it back up, often with a new crown and cap.
Chimney Leak Repair
A leak can come from the crown, the cap, the flashing, the brick or even condensation inside a gas flue. The stain on your ceiling rarely sits right under the source. We trace the water to where it gets in, then fix that. See how we handle chimney leak repair in Dallas.
The national fire code, NFPA 211, calls for a chimney inspection every year. A yearly look catches most of these problems while they are still small and cheap to fix.
Book Chimney Repair in Dallas
Chimney Sweep Keepers Dallas is a veteran-owned, family-run company at 6041 Village Bend Dr, near White Rock Lake. We are CSIA certified, licensed, bonded and insured. We answer 7 days a week from 7 AM to 11 PM. Call (469) 206-2085 or send the form, and we will set a time to look at your chimney and give you a free written estimate.
