The chimney crown is a concrete slab that is essentially the roof of your chimney. Its sole design is to prevent water and moisture from getting into the chimney. It is one of the most important components of your chimney, as it protects the entire structure of your chimney from moisture. All chimney crowns should have a slight taper to allow water to run off the chimney . A damaged or cracked chimney crown can allow moisture to infiltrate the entire chimney structure, causing extensive and costly damage in a very short period of time.
There are 3 types of chimney crown in which we provide.
Consisting of 2.5" - 3+" thick concrete that is slightly tapered to the outside edges of the chimney. While looking similar to a common "Wash Top", which is made from simple mortar, our standard crown is made of high strength concrete and reinforced with a fiber mesh additive to provide a much longer lifespan. While a standard crown is the most common and economically used type of crown, it does not provide near the protection of a poured crown and is usually reserved for smaller, single stack 2'x2' chimmeys.
A poured chimney crown is a solid, cast-in-place concrete slab poured directly onto the top of a masonry chimney to protect it from water damage. It acts as the chimney's primary roof, featuring a sloped design to shed water away from the structure and a distinct overhang to prevent runoff from staining or eroding the brickwork below. Compared to cheap mortar "Wash Top" crowns (which shrink, crack, and fail within a few years), a properly constructed poured concrete crown provides a permanent, weather-resistant barrier. In order to function correctly and prevent premature cracking, a poured chimney crown must meet specific professional standards. Built using thick, high strength concrete reinforced with fiber mesh and rebar, rather than thin mortar or sand mix. Designed with a minimum thickness of 4 inches at its thinnest outer edge, sloping upward toward the flue liner. A Poured crown is cast with an overhang beyond the chimney footprint, featuring an integrated drip edge underneath to force water to drop off instead of running down the bricks. The crown must be separated from both the brick structure and the clay flue tiles by using a bond break and expansion joint to allow the chimney to expand and contract safely during temperature changes.
Consisting of the same components as our poured concrete crown, with the addition of a decorative “crown molding” finish on the outside edges.