White Stains and Flaking Brick Mean the Chimney Is Drinking Rain
Look at the brick chimneys on a 1960s street in Central Arlington after a wet spring. Half of them have a white haze on the brick below the crown, and a few have faces popping off the bricks near the top. That is water moving through the masonry. Brick and mortar are porous, and a chimney stands in the weather on all four sides with nothing to shade it. Chimney waterproofing in Arlington, TX is the step that stops the cycle once the chimney is repaired.
Crownline Chimney Sweep waterproofs brick chimneys in Arlington. We fix the crown, cap, flashing and open joints first, clean the brick, and apply a breathable siloxane water repellent that keeps rain out and lets the chimney dry. The estimate is free and the price is in writing before we start.
Waterproofing is the one chimney service that is cheap on its own and expensive to skip, because every other masonry repair we do started with water.
Why Brick Chimneys Fail Without Waterproofing
A brick can absorb a surprising amount of water in one storm. Once it is inside, three things happen on an Arlington chimney:
- Efflorescence. The water dissolves salts in the mortar and brick and leaves a white powder on the surface as it dries. Harmless, but it is a sign the chimney is wet inside.
- Spalling. Water in the brick expands when it freezes in January or turns to vapor in a 100-degree July. The face of the brick pops off. Once a brick spalls it has to be replaced.
- Mortar loss. Wet mortar joints wash out, sand grain by sand grain. Open joints let in more water, which is how a chimney ends up needing tuckpointing or a rebuild.
The water does not stay in the brick. It runs down into the flue tiles, the smoke chamber, the damper and the firebox. A rusted damper and a damp fireplace smell are often a waterproofing problem that started on the outside of the chimney.
Fix the Leaks First, Then Seal the Brick
A water repellent on the brick does nothing for the places where most Arlington chimney leaks start. That is why Crownline treats waterproofing as the last step of a repair, not the first.
Before we seal a chimney we check and, if needed, fix:
- The crown. Cracked or thin crowns get sealed or rebuilt. See chimney crown repair.
- The cap. A missing or rusted cap lets rain straight down the flue. We install a stainless cap.
- The flashing. Failed step or counter flashing at the roof line gets replaced.
- The mortar joints. Open joints are repointed so the repellent has a solid surface to protect.
- Spalled brick. Bricks that have lost their face are replaced.
Then the chimney gets cleaned and sealed. Doing it in this order is the difference between a seal that lasts a decade and a seal that hides a leak for a season. If a company offers to spray your chimney without going on the roof to look at the crown, be careful.
What We Use and Why It Matters
We apply a professional-grade siloxane water repellent. It soaks into the brick and mortar and bonds inside the pores, so liquid water cannot get in but water vapor can still get out. The chimney breathes. The finish is clear and flat; the brick looks the same, it just sheds rain.
What we do not use: clear acrylic sealers, elastomeric coatings or paint on brick. Those form a film on the surface. Any water already in the brick, or water that gets behind the film through a hairline crack, is trapped. The next freeze or heat wave pushes the brick face off from behind. We have replaced a lot of spalled brick on Arlington chimneys that someone painted or film-sealed years ago.
The crown gets a different product: a flexible, waterproof crown coating made to bridge small cracks and move with the chimney.
What Our Chimney Waterproofing Service Includes
- Roof-level inspection with photos. Crown, cap, flashing, brick and mortar on all four sides. You see the photos before we recommend anything.
- Written price. A free itemized estimate with the waterproofing, the crown coating and any repairs listed separately so you can choose.
- Repairs first. Crown, cap, flashing, joints and spalled brick fixed and allowed to cure.
- Cleaning. Efflorescence, dirt and loose material cleaned off so the repellent soaks into brick, not grime.
- Flood coat. Siloxane repellent applied wet enough to run 6 to 8 inches down the face, two coats wet on wet, on every side of the chimney above the roof.
- Crown coating. Flexible crown sealer brushed on after the crown repair cures.
- Photos. Before and after shots from the roof sent to you.
Most waterproofing jobs are done in one visit of a few hours once any repairs have cured. The brick needs to be dry and the forecast clear for about a day. We can also do it as part of a fall sweep and inspection visit, which is how many Arlington homeowners handle it: one appointment, the flue cleaned, the crown and cap checked, and the brick sealed before the first fire of the season. A fireplace that has not been used in years is still worth sealing; the water does not care whether you burn.
What Chimney Waterproofing Costs in Arlington
Arlington chimney companies publish almost nothing on waterproofing prices. National cost guides list masonry sealing at roughly $150 to $500 for the sealing itself (Bob Vila’s chimney repair cost guide), and the total depends on the chimney’s height, how many sides need cleaning, and whether a crown repair or repointing has to happen first. Treat that as a starting point, not a quote.
| Factor | Lower cost | Higher cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney size | One-story, single flue | Two-story, wide, multiple flues |
| Brick condition | Clean, sound | Heavy efflorescence, spalled bricks to replace |
| Crown | Sound, coated only | Rebuilt first |
| Mortar joints | Tight | Repointing first |
| Roof access | Walkable | Steep, two stories |
Crownline inspects first and quotes in writing after. Estimates are free, seniors, veterans and first responders get 10% off, and we match a written quote from an insured company for the same work. One discount per job.
Arlington Weather Is the Reason This Matters
North Texas gives a chimney every kind of water damage in one year. Spring brings Tarrant County hail and wind-driven rain. Summer bakes the brick at 100 degrees and turns any trapped water into vapor. Winter drops below freezing a handful of nights, which is enough to spall a wet brick. And the clay soil under Arlington swells and shrinks with the seasons, opening hairline cracks in the crown and the joints that let the next storm in.
The brick chimneys in Central Arlington, Dalworthington Gardens, Pantego and East Arlington near the stadiums are mostly 40 to 70 years old. Many have never been sealed. Those are the chimneys where we see the most efflorescence, spalling and crown damage, and the ones where a day of waterproofing saves the most money later. The NFPA 211 standard calls for a yearly chimney inspection, and that inspection is the right time to check the brick and reseal when water stops beading.
Why Arlington Homeowners Call Crownline to Waterproof a Chimney
Crownline Chimney Sweep is a local Arlington company at 700 Highlander Blvd near the Parks Mall and I-20, with a crew that has worked on Arlington brick chimneys for more than 20 years. We are insured and bonded.
On a waterproofing job with us you get the crown, cap, flashing and joints checked from the roof with photos, repairs done before the seal, a breathable product instead of a film, a free estimate and a written price, and after photos that show the water beading. That is the standard behind calling ourselves the best chimney company in Arlington, and it is why we are earning the title of the local chimney company Arlington homeowners trust.
Waterproofing is one of the chimney repair services Crownline provides in Arlington, TX. If the chimney is already leaking, start with our chimney flashing and leak repair page and we will trace it first. Call (817) 505-4222 or request a free estimate below, and we will seal the chimney before the next wet season.