Had a talk with a mason about parging and it changed my approach to liners

I was up at a job in Burlington last month and the homeowner's mason stopped by to check the chimney exterior. He told me I was over-relying on stainless steel liners when a properly parged terracotta flue could last longer and draft better. He showed me photos of a 1910 house where the original parging was still intact. Made me realize I've been pushing expensive liner installs without considering full restoration. Has anyone else had luck with parging older flues instead of just dropping a liner in?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivers281mo ago

I get what you're saying about the mason changing your view. I've run into the same thing where a GOOD parging job on an old flue beats a liner for draft every time. The key is making SURE the chimney is bone dry and the old terracotta is clean before you start. I've parged flues from the 1920s that still pull like a freight train twenty years later. Liners have their place but a lot of guys just throw them in because it's easier than learning the old school way.

sage_morgan751mo ago

Figure out how the parge coat handles the freeze-thaw cycle up north in an uninsulated chase, because that's where I've seen more than a few perfect jobs spider-crack within three winters.