Lakewood, Pierce County
Waterproofing a chimney in Lakewood costs $320 to $795. The low figure fits a short, sound chimney with one flue; a tall chimney, a lake house with a two-story face exposed to weather, or brick that needs cleaning and small repairs first is at the high end. The product we apply is breathable, so it keeps rain out of the brick without trapping moisture already inside it.
Typical investment
$320–$795
Book an inspection
Book your $99 inspection
$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your Lakewood home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Lakewood homes.
Level 1 or Level 2 as needed; Level 2 includes a camera run through the entire flue
Learn more
Top-to-bottom brushing of flue and firebox under drop cloths, with a HEPA vacuum pulling the dust
Learn more
Loose or damaged brick, open joints and firebox panels repaired
Learn more
A full-length stainless-steel or cast liner, firebox to chimney top
Learn more
A stainless cap sized to your actual flue dimensions
Learn more
Burner, pilot assembly and valve cleaned and adjusted
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
Brick is porous, and a Lakewood chimney soaks up rain for most of the year. Stacks facing open water on American Lake, Gravelly Lake or Lake Steilacoom take rain side-on in winter storms, and even inland chimneys stay damp under the long cloud cover. A water repellent reduces how much the brick absorbs, which slows the mortar erosion, staining and flaking that follow.
Half of Lakewood's housing was built before 1975, the Census median, and nearly 59% before 1980. Brick and mortar that old have weathered past their original surface, and a chimney that has never been treated absorbs more water per storm than it did when new.
Keeping that water out matters inside the flue too. A clay flue in a damp chimney stays cold longer, and when an insert has been added without a liner, smoke meeting that cold surface leaves more deposits. Waterproofing the outside is one part; confirming the insert is properly lined is the other.
Every chimney waterproofing we do in Lakewood includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowCloud and rain are the limiting factor here. WeatherSpark counts about 8.2 cloudier months a year in Lakewood, with January the grayest at about 74% overcast or mostly cloudy, and a wet season running from early October to May 1. Brick that barely dries between storms holds water against the mortar for months. Sealing has to wait for a dry spell so the product goes onto dry masonry, which is why we schedule most waterproofing between late spring and early fall.
A repellent works on sound masonry. It cannot bridge an open crack, and any crack left under the coating keeps letting water in. On Lakewood chimneys we therefore look for movement cracks before applying anything, especially on stacks that were already standing when the 2001 Nisqually quake, magnitude 6.8, struck from deep under Anderson Island.
Of the 30,000 homes FEMA inspected afterward, about one in three showed chimney damage, the USGS report says. A crack that has been open since then is repaired first; the coating goes on afterward.
Sealing over cracks traps water, so we inspect the masonry first and list any repairs that must come before the repellent.
The chimney is cleaned and left to dry. We only apply to dry brick with a dry forecast for the next day.
The repellent is applied to every face of the stack until the brick is saturated, and the crown is coated separately.
We test a patch with water to show the beading and send photos of the finished chimney. Plan to re-treat every three to five years.
What this work is quoted at for Lakewood homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Lakewood | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Waterproofing | $320–$795 | Breathable sealer — reapplied every 3–5 years in this climate |
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Repair | From $375 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Lakewood. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Some Lakewood homes still rely on a fireplace or stove for real heat through the wet months. During a burn ban, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency allows burning only when the device is the household's only adequate heat and the agency has approved a No Other Adequate Source of Heat exemption in advance.
An expensive primary heating system does not qualify, and neither does a furnace that is temporarily broken. Even with an exemption, visible smoke is not allowed, so a chimney that drafts well and a stove fed dry wood matter more, not less.
Lakewood is a city incorporated in 1996 around a string of lakes where Tacoma families first built lodges in the late 1800s, on American Lake, with homes with a median build year of 1975, about 59% of them built before 1980.
LakewoodPierce County, WA · 47.172, -122.519
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
$320 to $795. Size, exposure and any prep work set the price, and the quote lists the prep separately from the sealing.
A film-forming sealer can trap moisture inside the brick and make spalling worse. A chimney needs a breathable repellent that lets vapor out.
Generally three to five years, depending on how exposed the chimney is. Lakeside stacks facing the weather may need it sooner.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
