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Chimney Crown Rebuild in SeaTac, WA
Reinforced, overhanging concrete crowns for SeaTac's mid-century brick chimneys, 15 minutes from our Renton office. Starting at $299.
- Serving SeaTac & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in SeaTac
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
The crown on a SeaTac chimney from the 1950s through the 1970s was typically a thin mortar wash troweled flush with the top brick. It has no overhang, so rain runs down the face of the chimney instead of dripping clear, and it is thin enough that a few hard freezes crack it. After fifty or sixty winters the crowns we see in McMicken Heights, Riverton Heights and around Bow Lake are broken into plates, sometimes with grass growing from the cracks, and the top courses underneath are loose because water has been soaking the joints for decades. Around Angle Lake the crown edge facing the water usually goes first.
We remove the old crown, reset or replace any loose top courses, and pour a new reinforced crown that is thick at the center, slopes to the edges, overhangs the brick with a drip kerf, and has an expansion gap around the flue tile so it does not crack when the tile heats. A crown rebuild starts at $299, the quote is free, and we price match plus 10-25% off any written bid. SeaTac is about 15 minutes from our North Renton office, so we can look at it quickly and book the pour for a dry window.
Symptoms
Signs SeaTac homeowners notice
- Pieces of concrete or mortar missing from the top edge of the chimney
- Cracks wide enough to see daylight or fit a coin into
- The crown is flat or dished in the middle so water pools on it
- No overhang: the slab ends flush with the brick faces
- The top two or three courses of brick are spalling or loose
- A previous crown sealant is peeling off and the cracks underneath have reopened
SeaTac Conditions
Why this happens in SeaTac
The airport in the middle of SeaTac records the region's climate normals, and they are hard on crowns. A flat crown sees all 40.34 inches of the annual rainfall, about 29.65 inches of it between October and March when it almost never dries. Winter lows average 37.1 degrees in December and 37.7 in January and February, so roughly 60 nights a year freeze water sitting in the crown's cracks while the days thaw it again. The Brick Industry Association's technical notes describe the expansion of freezing water in saturated masonry as the mechanism behind cracking and spalling, and a two-inch mortar wash has far less resistance than the brick below it. Once the windward edge breaks away, water has a direct path into the top course, and by spring those bricks are loose. A crown poured with a real overhang and a drip kerf changes where that water lands, which is why the brick under a rebuilt crown is noticeably drier the next winter.
How It Works
Our chimney crown rebuild process
Remove the failed crown
We break out the old slab or mortar wash down to solid brick, protecting the flue opening so debris does not fall into the chimney.
Repair the top courses
Any loose or spalled brick in the top courses is reset or replaced so the new crown sits on sound masonry.
Form with overhang and slope
We build a form that projects past the brick faces on all sides and slopes the surface away from the flue so water runs off instead of sitting.
Pour and finish
The crown is poured in a single placement with a bond break around the flue tile so heat expansion does not crack it, and a drip edge is formed on the underside of the overhang.
Cure and seal
Once cured, we apply a breathable water repellent and, where useful, a flexible sealant at the flue joint. A new cap goes on if the old one is damaged.
Full details, options and pricing factors on the main Chimney Crown Rebuild page.
Need chimney crown rebuild in SeaTac?
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Chimney Crown Rebuild in SeaTac — FAQ
Is a crown rebuild enough, or does my SeaTac chimney need to be rebuilt?
Usually the crown plus the top two or three courses is enough. We take down the loose brick, clean and relay it, and pour the new crown on solid masonry. A full rebuild is only needed when the liner is broken or the movement runs well down the chimney, and we show you photos during the free quote either way. Crown rebuilds start at $299.
How long does a crown rebuild take in SeaTac?
Most are done in one visit of a few hours on a dry day, with the concrete curing over the following days. We schedule SeaTac crowns for the May-to-September window when the normals drop to about an inch a month or less, and because we are 15 minutes away we can pair the pour with a cap, tuckpointing or a sweep on the same trip.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in SeaTac?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in SeaTac and the rest of King County.
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