# Scraping crumbling mortar off a chimney is the worst job I’ve ever done **URL:** \ **Category:** Manitoba\ **Tags:** chimney, chimney-repair\ **Created:** [May 13, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576 "2026-05-13T21:48:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defizyn](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/defizyn/32/12468_2.png) [@Defizyn](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Defizyn)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/1 "2026-05-13T21:48:47Z")
![1000147232](https://renovation-reviews.storage.googleapis.com/original/2X/2/2d1eab57cc2f8bb6113eb198afbb428375c5f78c.jpeg) A small patch of damp drywall in the attic pointed straight to a major leak around the brick chimney stack up on the roof. Climbing up there with a cold chisel and a wire brush revealed that the old mortar joints were basically turning into sand. Fixing the leak meant grinding out all the loose, decaying concrete before applying fresh tuck pointing mortar, which is a mind numbing grind when you are balanced on a steep roof pitch. The dust from the old mortar was absolutely brutal. Every single strike of the hammer sent a cloud of grey grit directly into my face, and even with a mask on, my throat felt like sandpaper within an hour. My knuckles are completely raw from accidentally scraping them against the rough brickwork every time the chisel slipped. Trying to mix a heavy bucket of fresh mortar while perched on a ladder, keeping it from drying out in the wind, and shoving it into tiny half inch gaps with a pointing trowel took way too much coordination. The worst part was installing the new metal flashing around the base to actually stop the rain. Bending thick sheets of aluminum around a brick corner using basic hand snips requires a ridiculous amount of hand strength, and the sharp edges sliced right through my first pair of work gloves. Getting a water tight seal meant applying thick layers of sticky black roofing tar, which somehow ended up smeared all over my jeans, my boots, and the handles of my favorite tools. It took nearly six hours of constant kneeling on hard shingles just to finish a three foot section of the brickwork. My knees are swollen, my neck is completely stiff from staring downward all afternoon, and the black tar stains on my hands will probably take a week to scrub off. There is a massive rainstorm forecast for tomorrow night, so the patch job is going to face a real test whether I like it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Johnson](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Johnson](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Johnson)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/2 "2026-05-13T22:59:00Z")
Scaping crumbling is a really worst job to discover leaks are something else ---
**Author:** ![Muller](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Muller](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Muller)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/3 "2026-05-13T23:18:57Z")
I feel like scraping scrambling mortar off a chimney can be a really bad experience, last time.i did it I had all this random body ache ---
**Author:** ![Bobby\_Michael](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/bobby_michael/32/2057_2.png) [@Bobby\_Michael](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Bobby_Michael)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/4 "2026-05-13T23:29:55Z")
Six hours is really long buddy, I doubt I can last that long lol ---
**Author:** ![Abdul\_Rahman](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/abdul_rahman/32/832_2.png) [@Abdul\_Rahman](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Abdul_Rahman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:26am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/5 "2026-05-14T05:26:19Z")
The part about the mortar basically turning into sand is crazy though. Hopefully the patch holds up well when the rain comes tomorrow because you definitely deserve a break after all that. ---
**Author:** ![Trent](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/trent/32/15133_2.png) [@Trent](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Trent)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:54am UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/6 "2026-05-14T05:54:24Z")
That sounds like an incredibly tough repair job. Roof and chimney work always looks simpler from the ground, but dealing with crumbling mortar, flashing, steep angles, and roofing tar at the same time is physically exhausting. Hopefully the storm tomorrow proves all that hard work paid off and the leak is finally sealed for good. ---
**Author:** ![Treasure](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Treasure](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Treasure)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/7 "2026-05-14T15:39:14Z")
It is a very tiring thankless job . For me the worst job was painting thr bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Jonsnow](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jonsnow](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Jonsnow)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/8 "2026-05-14T17:16:12Z")
This is super helpful, thanks for posting ---
**Author:** ![Paulinho](https://home.renovation.reviews/user_avatar/home.renovation.reviews/paulinho/32/14923_2.png) [@Paulinho](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/Paulinho)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/9 "2026-05-14T19:20:15Z")
That sounds like one of those jobs where the “simple leak repair” turns into full-on roof survival training. Chimney work is no joke especially once the mortar has basically turned back into sand. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelRobert](https://home.renovation.reviews/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MichaelRobert](https://home.renovation.reviews/u/MichaelRobert)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:21pm UTC](https://home.renovation.reviews/t/scraping-crumbling-mortar-off-a-chimney-is-the-worst-job-i-ve-ever-done/47576/10 "2026-05-14T19:21:27Z")
I totally agree with you on this it’s the most worsted work I have done