Chimney Repair Guide
Chimney Repair in Garfield, NJ: What to Check on an Older Brick Stack
Chimney repair in Garfield, NJ usually starts with four checks: the flashing at the roof line, the crown on top, the mortar joints and the faces of the bricks. Most of the city's housing predates 1960, so on many of these stacks more than one of those has already been patched.
We do chimney repair from 38 Speer Ave in Clifton, including brick repairs and flashing. There's more on our work in the city on our Garfield chimney repair page and our Garfield service area page. This guide covers what you can look at from the ground, and what to ask before anyone climbs up.
Why the age of the house matters here
The Census estimates that 7,439 of Garfield's 11,846 housing units went up before 1960, with a median year built of 1954. Those are estimates and they count every housing unit, so they say nothing about your building in particular. They do tell you that a chimney in Garfield has often been through decades of winters and a few roofers. Ask whoever owned it before you what was done up there, and keep any invoices.
Start with the stain, not the chimney
If the ceiling or wall beside the chimney is wet, the flashing is the first suspect, because that's the metal sealing the joint between the brick and the roof. Tar smeared over that joint usually means someone has already tried to stop a leak there. Note where the stain sits and whether it shows up with every rain or only with wind behind it. We check the flashing before we blame the brick. If that's where it stops, our chimney flashing page covers the repair.
The crown on top
The crown is the sloped cap of mortar or concrete around the flue at the top of the stack. It's there to shed water, and a crack lets rain straight down into the brick. You usually can't see it from the sidewalk, so ask for photos. Fine surface crazing and a crack running all the way through are different problems, and a photo will show which one you have.
Mortar joints and what goes back in them
Look at the stack with binoculars or a phone zoomed in. Mortar that has recessed, crumbled or fallen out of the joints needs repointing, which means cutting out the bad mortar and packing in new. Ask what mix is going in. The National Park Service's guidance on repointing says new mortar should be softer or more permeable than the masonry and no harder than the original, and calls it a common error to treat high strength as the measure of a good mortar. It's written for historic buildings, but the reason applies to any old, soft brick: mortar that's too hard can damage the brick around it as the wall moves.
Bricks that have lost their face
When the hard outer face of a brick pops off, it's called spalling, and you'll sometimes find the pieces on the roof or in the yard. A few spalled bricks can usually be cut out and replaced. Spalling across much of the stack is a different conversation, and so is a visible lean. Our guide to chimney rebuild or repair explains how we tell them apart.
After a lightning strike nearby
NOAA's storm database records several homes in Garfield struck by lightning on August 19, 2011, though it doesn't say which part of each house was hit. If a strike lands close to you, have the chimney looked at even if nothing shows from the ground, and stop using the fireplace until someone has checked it.
Permits and who files them
New Jersey's ordinary maintenance list at N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 names roof covering, siding, gutters and leaders. It doesn't name chimney brick repair or rebuilding, so ask Garfield's construction office whether your job needs a permit before work starts. Your written estimate should say who files any permit and who books the inspection.
Have the flue checked too
Brick work outside doesn't tell you what's going on inside the flue. The US Fire Administration says heating equipment and chimneys should be cleaned and inspected each year by a professional, so if you're burning wood or venting a furnace through that stack, book that separately and ask for the result in writing. It's worth having before any brick work, since it may change the scope.
Get a chimney repair inspection in Garfield
The inspection is free, we show you photos of what we find, and the proposed repair comes in writing. Call (862) 318-3997, or use the form on this page.
Sources (read November 5, 2026): US Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25034; National Park Service, Preservation Brief 2; NOAA, Storm Events Database; State of New Jersey, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7; US Fire Administration, Heating Fire Safety.