A Hearthstone company - serving Trenton, NJ

Before & After Gallery - Hearthstone Chimney Co.

Every visit starts with

Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed

Worth knowing

Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.

Styles & brands we work with

Before & after – our own jobs

Before - Recent Project — Recent Project

Before - Full Restoration — Full Restoration

After - Full Restoration — Full Restoration

Before - Complete Upgrade — Complete Upgrade

After - Complete Upgrade — Complete Upgrade

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Trenton, NJ

We’ve cleaned chimneys in Trenton for over 42 years. Photos don’t lie. Below you’ll find real jobs we’ve completed across Mercer County, from historic homes in Mill Hill to newer builds in Lawrence Township. Each shows what we found, what we did, and how the chimney looked when we finished.

Call (856) 519-0832

Recent Transformations

Heavy Creosote Buildup in Chambersburg Rowhouse

Before: thick glazed creosote deposits lining a Trenton chimney flue — Before: Glazed creosote nearly blocking the flue in a Chambersburg home built in 1920.

After: clean flue walls with creosote fully removed — After: Flue walls clean to bare masonry, ready for safe burning.

The homeowner on Adeline Street smelled something acrid every time they ran their wood stove. Our Level-2 camera inspection showed third-stage glazed creosote, the kind that ignites at lower temperatures and burns hot enough to crack flue tiles. We used mechanical rotary cleaning with professional-grade Polyflex rods to break the glaze, then ran a second camera pass so the homeowner could see the bare terracotta. They hadn’t seen that flue wall since 1987. Burning season started two days later with no smell, no worry.

Blocked Flue from Bird Nesting in Hamilton Township

Before: compacted bird nest material filling a chimney flue — Before: Compacted starling nest blocking the flue of a Hamilton Township colonial.

After: clear flue with new chimney cap installed — After: Flue cleared and a Gelco stainless-steel cap installed to prevent return visits.

A family on Sweetbriar Avenue called in late August. Their fireplace had drafted poorly all last winter, and they’d started using space heaters instead. The camera revealed a compacted nest from a starling colony that had been building for two seasons. We extracted the material in sections, swept the flue, and installed a Gelco cap with 3/4-inch mesh. Most important, we showed them the photos before and after so they understood why the cap mattered. No cap means the birds come back. The cap means they don’t.

Fallen Tile Obstruction in Ewing Ranch Home

Before: broken flue tile fragments collected at chimney base — Before: Shattered flue tile blocking the smoke chamber of a 1960s Ewing ranch.

After: smoke chamber parged smooth with HeatShield — After: Smoke chamber parged smooth with HeatShield Cerfractory Foam, flue relined with DuraFlex.

The homeowner noticed smoke backing into the living room on cold starts. Our camera found a collapsed section of terracotta flue tile in the smoke chamber, likely from a chimney fire they didn’t know they’d had. We cleared the debris, parged the smoke chamber with HeatShield to restore proper geometry, and installed a DuraFlex stainless liner from top to bottom. The job took one day. The homeowner watched the camera feed as we worked. When we finished, the draft pulled hard and straight. That’s the difference between a sweep and a real repair.

Exterior Staining and Internal Soot Load in Mill Hill Victorian

Before: white efflorescence and black soot stains on exterior chimney brick — Before: Efflorescence and soot staining on a Mill Hill Victorian chimney, signs of internal deterioration.

After: clean brickwork with repaired mortar joints — After: Tuckpointed mortar joints, waterproofed crown, and clean flue ready for another century of service.

The white powder on the brick was efflorescence, mineral salts pushed out by moisture getting past failed mortar joints. Inside, the flue carried a full season’s soot load plus cracked joints between flue tiles. We swept the flue, tuckpointed the exterior with color-matched mortar, sealed the crown with CrownCoat, and applied a breathable water repellent to the brick. The homeowner on Mercer Street wanted the house to look right from the street. It does now. The chimney will outlast the mortgage.

Factory-Built Fireplace Creosote in Lawrence Township

Before: heavy soot and creosote coating a metal factory-built chimney — Before: Heavy creosote coating the metal flue of a factory-built fireplace in Lawrence Township.

After: metal flue surfaces cleaned to manufacturer specification — After: Metal flue cleaned to NFPA 211 standard, clearance to combustibles verified.

Prefabricated fireplaces need the same attention as masonry, but the cleaning method differs. A homeowner near Rider University burned compressed logs all winter and didn’t realize how fast they deposit creosote in metal flues. We used nylon brushes sized to the manufacturer’s specification, not the stiff wire brushes meant for terracotta. We also verified clearance to combustibles with a video scan of the chase. The unit was installed correctly in 2005, but creosote doesn’t care about correct installation. It cares about maintenance. This one is maintained now.

Neglected Summer Cottage Flue in Yardville

Before: thick layered soot and animal debris in a rarely used chimney — Before: Three years of accumulated debris in a Yardville cottage chimney used only on winter weekends.

After: clean flue with debris removed and damper serviced — After: Flue swept, damper serviced, and firebox inspected for safe intermittent use.

The owner on South Broad Street opened the cottage for October and lit the first fire without thinking. The chimney hadn’t been swept since 2019. We found layered soot, a partially failed damper, and evidence of squirrel entry in the chase cover. We swept the flue, repaired the damper, replaced the chase cover with a proper galvanized unit from Famco, and walked the owner through what intermittent use means for maintenance. A chimney that sits cold all week then runs hot all weekend stresses differently than a daily-use flue. Now they know what to watch for.

Want Results Like These?

Every job above follows the same process we use on your chimney: camera inspection with photos you can see, a plain-English verdict on what needs attention now versus what can wait, and work backed by our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. No arguing. If it’s not right, we come back.

Call (856) 519-0832 any time. A live person answers, day or night. We’ll schedule your sweep, show you what we find, and give you upfront pricing before any work begins. The number on the estimate is the number on the invoice. A square deal, no surprises on the bill.

Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Trenton since 1984.

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