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While painting can certainly change the look of a chimney, you should think twice about giving your brick chimney the old landlord special.

Painting brick is porous, meaning it’s full of tiny holes that can soak up moisture. Those holes also allow it to dry, though. So, when you paint it, you trap any moisture inside, providing an opportunity for mold, mildew, and water damage.

Paint also shows wear faster than naked brick. This means that once you paint a brick surface, you’ll have to keep painting it to maintain a clean look. A paint job is also harder to undo on brick because of its porous nature. Once you paint it, it’s hard to go back without some serious power washing—another added cost.

It is possible, albeit a lot slower, to break up a rock using water. You would do this by freezing and thawing the water. You could create some initial holes or cracks in the rock, then pour water into the cracks or holes and allow them to freeze (so it's best to do this in winter or in colder climates). Since water expands when it freezes, this puts pressure on the inside of the rock and causes it to crack. You could continue to pour more water in and let it freeze to continue to break up the rock.

Solid brick structures can last a century or more, potentially 100 to 150 years with proper maintenance like tuckpointing. Without major repairs, classic red bricks may last 20 to 40 years. Brick veneer siding is also a long-lasting material, with a lifespan ranging from 50 to 100 years, provided it is properly installed and maintained. To maintain brick veneer, you should scrub it annually with a special detergent and a soft-bristled broom. It's also important to inspect the bricks and mortar regularly and hire a masonry contractor for any necessary repairs, such as fixing worn mortar or bowing bricks.

You will repoint over a fraction of the old mortar, but you should scrape away 1/2 to 1 inch of mortar from the joints before repointing. Otherwise, the repointing is only masking the weakened mortar instead of actually replacing it, which could put your chimney at risk of bigger, more expensive damages later on.