Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
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AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Liner & Rebuild Across Midwood
Chimney liner installation and rebuild work in Midwood typically runs $2,800-$8,500 depending on whether you’re relining a single flue or rebuilding a full exterior stack, and most jobs are completed in one to two days. If your home was built between the 1920s and 1940s, your chimney was almost certainly designed for coal, not gas, and that mismatch is the root of most liner problems we see here. Call (516) 613-3035 to speak with a live person, any hour, and we’ll schedule a Level 2 camera inspection with photos you can see and a plain-English verdict.
We’ve been serving Brooklyn homeowners for over 42 years, and our Midwood calls follow a pattern: older brick homes, original clay flues, and a fuel conversion history that left the chimney structurally sound but functionally obsolete. Our scheduling is coordinated from our New York City office, but our crews live and work locally. We know the difference between a Colonial on Avenue J and a Tudor off Ocean Avenue, and we know what their chimneys are hiding.
Why Hearthstone Chimney Co. Is Midwood’s Preferred Chimney Liner & Rebuild Company
Midwood homeowners tend to stay put. These are houses people raise families in, then retire in. That means when you call us, you’re not looking for a quick patch before a sale - you want the job done right so you never think about it again. We understand that. Our 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing, with no arguing: if it’s not right, we come back. Period.
We’ve built our reputation one brick at a time, the same way we rebuild chimneys. Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and trained to complete most jobs in a single visit. No-hassle upfront pricing means the number on your estimate is the number on your invoice. And when you call (516) 613-3035, a live person answers - not a voicemail, not a callback queue, not an app. That’s been true for over 42 years.
Our Level 2 camera inspections end with photos you can see and a plain-English verdict. We document like engineers, explain like craftsmen. Nothing gets recommended without evidence you can examine yourself.
Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild Services in Midwood
Stainless Steel Liner Installation
Stainless steel liners are what most Midwood chimneys need. The original 12×12 clay flues in these 1920s-1940s homes were built for coal furnaces that ran hot and drafty. Modern gas boilers need smaller, properly sized flues to vent safely and efficiently. We install DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney stainless liners sized precisely to your appliance’s BTU output, bringing your system into compliance with NYC DOB guidelines. A typical stainless liner installation in Midwood runs $2,800-$4,500 for a single flue, including the inspection, photos, and written report.
Flexible Liner Systems
Some Midwood chimneys have offsets or bends that rigid pipe can’t navigate - particularly in semi-detached homes where the flue path was modified during a side-extension addition. Flexible liners from DuraFlex solve this without dismantling walls. We snake the liner through the existing flue, top it with a proper termination, and seal the connection. Flexible systems add roughly $400-$700 to the base liner cost when offsets are present, but they save the far greater expense of structural demolition.
Liner Replacement
When an existing liner has failed - cracked clay tiles, corroded galvanized sections, or gaps at the joints - replacement is the only safe option. In Midwood, we see this most often in homes that had a galvanized liner installed in the 1970s or 1980s. Salt air from the nearby Atlantic has eaten through the steel, or freeze-thaw cycles have shifted the chimney enough to crack the tiles. We remove the old material, inspect the surrounding masonry with our camera, and install a new stainless system. Liner replacement in Midwood typically costs $3,200-$5,500 depending on flue height and access.
Partial and Full Chimney Rebuild
Sometimes the liner is fine but the chimney around it is failing. Salt-laden moisture and decades of freeze-thaw cycling erode mortar joints and spall brick on Midwood’s older chimneys. We see this especially on homes that haven’t had tuckpointing in 30-40 years. A partial rebuild addresses the crown, cap, and top courses of brick - usually $3,500-$6,000. A full rebuild, from the roofline up, runs $7,500-$12,000 in Midwood’s market. We use professional-grade materials from Copperfield and Famco, match existing brick where possible, and guarantee our work with the 90-Day Done Right Promise.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Midwood
We don’t use builder-grade substitutes. Our trucks carry DuraFlex flexible and rigid liners, HeatShield cerfractory flue sealant for resurfacing sound but pitted clay tiles, and Olympia Chimney stainless components. For caps, crowns, and flashing repair, we stock Copperfield and Famco materials sized to match Midwood’s common flue dimensions. That means faster turnaround - no waiting two weeks for a special order while your chimney leaks. Every brand we use is one we’d install in our own homes. Done right, and we stand behind it.
Common Chimney Liner & Rebuild Problems We See in Midwood Homes
- Bare unlined flues venting gas boilers. On blocks like East 16th and East 17th Street, our techs routinely open 1930s clean-out doors and find a modern gas boiler venting through a bare, unlined 12×12 clay flue - a configuration NYC Local Law and DOB guidelines explicitly prohibit. The system appears to work until draft failure or a CO event forces the issue.
- Salt-air corrosion and freeze-thaw damage. Brooklyn’s position between the Atlantic and Jamaica Bay subjects Midwood chimneys to salt-laden moisture that accelerates mortar joint erosion and brick spalling. Chimneys that haven’t seen tuckpointing since the 1980s or 1990s often need crown rebuilds and cap replacement before any liner work can begin.
- Glazed third-degree creosote in seasonally used fireplaces. Midwood homeowners who burn only during holiday weeks or cold snaps rarely get their flues hot enough to establish proper draft. The result is sticky, tar-like creosote that a standard brush cannot remove. Chemical treatment or liner replacement may be necessary.
- Oversized flues causing condensation and backdraft. A 12×12 coal flue venting a modern high-efficiency gas boiler is so large that exhaust cools before it exits, condensing into acidic moisture that destroys mortar from the inside. Proper liner sizing solves this; without it, the chimney deteriorates faster than weather alone would cause.
Pricing for Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Midwood, NY
Here’s what chimney liner and rebuild work actually costs in Midwood’s market:
- Level 2 camera inspection with photo report: $289-$349
- Stainless steel liner installation (single flue): $2,800-$4,500
- Flexible liner with offset navigation: $3,200-$5,200
- Liner replacement (removal and reline): $3,200-$5,500
- Partial rebuild (crown, cap, top courses): $3,500-$6,000
- Full chimney rebuild (roofline up): $7,500-$12,000
- HeatShield flue resurfacing (where clay tiles are sound but pitted): $1,800-$3,200
What moves you within these ranges? Flue height, number of appliances being vented, access (steep roof, narrow alley, scaffolding needs), and the condition of existing masonry. We give you the full number before we start - no surprises on the bill. Call (516) 613-3035 for a free estimate. We’ll inspect, photograph, and explain exactly what your chimney needs and why.
We Also Serve Cities Near Midwood
Our crews work throughout Brooklyn and across the water into Staten Island - Tottenville, Great Kills, and St. George included. Whether you’re in Midwood proper or nearby, our Chimney Liner & Rebuild team brings the same documentation, the same materials, and the same written guarantee. Scheduling is coordinated from our New York City office, with local dispatch to minimize wait times.
Serving Midwood, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Midwood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Midwood
Because “draws” and “vents safely” are not the same thing. Most Midwood homes were built with 12×12 clay flues sized for coal furnaces, and when those converted to gas, the oversized flue can’t produce adequate draft for efficient, safe venting. NYC DOB guidelines prohibit unlined gas venting. The fireplace may seem fine while carbon monoxide seeps into the structure. Call (516) 613-3035 and we’ll show you exactly what’s in your flue.
Salt-laden moisture accelerates corrosion of metal components and speeds freeze-thaw damage to mortar and brick. In Midwood, we see galvanized caps rust through in 8-12 years instead of 20, and mortar joints in chimneys that haven’t been tuckpointed since the 1980s crumble to powder. Stainless steel components resist this far better than galvanized. We recommend annual inspection for any Midwood chimney within a mile of salt water exposure.
Stainless, without question. Galvanized liners corrode in salt air; we’ve pulled out 1980s galvanized sections that were paper-thin from rust. We install only DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney stainless systems rated for the application. The upfront cost is higher, but a galvanized liner in Midwood is a repair you’ll pay for twice.
Annually, especially if you have a gas appliance venting through an original flue. The NFPA recommends yearly Level 2 inspection for all chimneys, and in Midwood’s housing stock, the gas boiler is the bigger concern than the fireplace. We were called to a 1938 Tudor on East 17th Street where the homeowner had never had the chimney looked at because the fireplace “worked fine.” When we opened the clean-out door, we found the gas boiler venting directly into a bare 12×12 flue with no insert and no stainless liner - exactly the code violation that defines Midwood’s older housing stock. We installed a DuraFlex stainless liner sized to the boiler’s BTU output, rebuilt the spalling crown with a proper overhang, and fitted a stainless cap; the Level 2 inspection we ran first also caught first-degree creosote in the firebox flue that a yearly sweep would have missed. Call (516) 613-3035 to schedule.
You probably can’t tell from the firebox. Third-degree creosote is a hard, shiny, tar-like glaze that forms when wood burns at low temperatures - exactly what happens in Midwood’s seasonally used fireplaces. It requires a camera inspection to identify and often chemical treatment or liner replacement to remove safely. A standard brush sweep won’t touch it. If you burn less than ten times per winter, assume you have some buildup and get it checked. Call (516) 613-3035 for a free estimate - the inspection itself will show you what you’re dealing with.
Ready to know what your chimney actually needs? Call (516) 613-3035 and a live person will answer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll schedule your Level 2 camera inspection, show you the photos, explain the verdict in plain English, and give you upfront pricing before any work begins. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers everything we do - in writing, no arguing. We’ve been serving local communities for over 42 years, and we plan to be here when your chimney needs us again.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Midwood and Brooklyn since 1984.