Does your chimney need a new liner? Types, reasons and prices
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What does a chimney liner do?
It is the inner surface of the flue, the layer that actually carries smoke and gases out of the house. This Old House describes it as the protective lining that directs smoke and combustion gases safely out of the home. In a masonry chimney the traditional liner is clay tile. The University of Missouri Extension says masonry chimneys should be lined with vitrified fire clay tile, which is made to withstand rapid changes in temperature and has a smooth surface that is easily cleaned.
Not every old chimney has one. CSIA, the trade's certification body, describes masonry flues as either an older, unlined type or tile lined to meet current safety codes.
When does a liner need repair or replacement?
A liner is replaced because it is damaged, because it is missing, or because it no longer suits what is connected to it.
- After a chimney fire. The Missouri extension service says the heat of a chimney fire can crack the tile liner of a masonry chimney, and CSIA says tiles can crack or collapse. The extension service explains why that cannot be left: sparks from ordinary use could pass through the cracks or holes into the attic or the framing around the chimney.
- Corrosion from gas or oil appliances. CSIA says high-efficiency gas furnaces produce fumes with a lot of water vapor, that the vapor carries chlorides, and that clay liners can flake off under corrosive conditions, leaving debris that can block the flue. The Better Business Bureau makes a similar point about oil: an oil-burning furnace produces sulfur oxides, and over time sulfur eats at the liner, which can crack.
- A flue the wrong size. CSIA says many chimneys are improperly sized for the appliances they serve. The Environmental Protection Agency lists a flue that is improperly sized, blocked or disconnected among the sources of carbon monoxide in a home.
- A new stove or insert. The liner has to suit the appliance. CSIA says liners used with solid fuel-burning appliances need to be insulated.
What kinds of liner are there, and what do they cost?
HomeGuide publishes installed prices by type. They are national figures.
| Liner type | Installed price (HomeGuide) | What HomeGuide says about it |
|---|---|---|
| Clay tile | $2,000 to $3,500 | Cheap material, costly labor, hard to retrofit |
| Stainless steel | $900 to $3,800 | Works with all fuel types |
| Aluminum | $625 to $2,250 | For gas appliances only, corrodes easily |
| Cast-in-place | $2,000 to $7,000 | Mortar pumped around an inflatable form |
| Ceramic coating | $1,000 to $5,000 | Sprayed over an existing liner |
Two notes on the table. Clay is the cheapest material, at $6 to $15 a linear foot against $20 to $90 for stainless steel, but HomeGuide says replacing tiles is labor-intensive because contractors must open up parts of the chimney walls to reach them. It says stainless steel liners are the most common. A cast-in-place liner is formed by pumping mortar around an inflatable rubber tube that is removed once the mortar has cured.
HomeGuide says a typical installation takes 4 to 8 hours and that the price depends on the flue's height and diameter, roof access, the number of connections, the condition of the chimney, whether insulation is needed and whether an old liner has to come out. Removing an old steel liner adds $250 to $800.
What do the other surveys say relining costs?
They overlap, with wide edges.
- Angi: $1,500 to $5,000.
- HomeAdvisor: $625 to $7,000.
- HomeGuide: $1,500 to $4,000 on average.
- Forbes Home: $1,550 to $6,000.
- Fixr: $1,000 to $7,000, with most homeowners paying around $2,500.
- This Old House: $1,200 to $4,600 to rebuild a liner, and $200 to $5,000 for liner repairs.
Forbes Home adds that a slightly cracked or damaged liner can sometimes be repaired for less than the cost of full replacement. That is worth asking about before you accept a quote for a whole new liner.
Does a liner need insulation?
It depends on the fuel. CSIA says liners for gas- and oil-fired appliances do not require insulation to meet manufacturers' installation requirements, because flue gas temperatures are lower. Liners serving wood-burning appliances do, and CSIA's view is that it makes sense to insulate every liner serving a wood-burning appliance. It adds that gas and oil appliances vented into a chimney on an outside wall will also perform better with an insulated liner.
How do you know the liner really needs replacing?
Ask for proof. A liner is expensive, it is out of sight, and it has featured in enforcement cases. In one brought by New Jersey's Attorney General, the state alleged that homeowners who had been offered cheap cleanings were sold repairs of $1,800 to $4,800, and that in at least one house the liner installed was too small, creating a risk of carbon monoxide entering the home. Size matters in both directions.
Three checks follow from that.
- See the damage. CSIA describes how a camera on the sweep's rods is rotated inside the flue to check tiles for cracks and mortar joints for failure, and says pictures can usually be downloaded. Ask for them.
- Ask what the liner is being matched to. The answer should name the appliance, its fuel and the liner's diameter and material. An aluminum liner, for example, is for gas appliances only.
- Get a second estimate. Until you have one, do not light the fireplace or stove that the flue serves. If it serves a furnace, boiler or water heater, ask the sweep and your heating contractor whether the appliance is safe to run.
A new liner is an installation, so in Pennsylvania a job above $500 comes under the home improvement law: a written contract, the contractor's registration number and three business days to cancel. What Pennsylvania requires has the details.
The inspection that should come before a relining is described in Level 1, 2 and 3 chimney inspections, and the sales tactics to watch for are in chimney sweep scams to avoid. Businesses that reline chimneys are on the chimney sweeps directory page.
Sources
- How Much Does Chimney Repair Cost?, This Old House
- Chimneys for Wood Stoves, University of Missouri Extension
- Cleaning Stovepipes and Chimneys, University of Missouri Extension
- Preventing Chimney Fires, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Hazards, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- Homeowner Resources, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- What You Need to Know After a Chimney Fire, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- BBB Tip: Hiring a chimney sweep, Better Business Bureau
- Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Files Suit Against Chimney Repair Company Charging That It Misled Vulnerable Victims Into Paying Thousands for Shoddy, Unnecessary Work, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General
- How much does a chimney liner cost to install?, HomeGuide
- How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost? [2026 Data], Angi
- How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost in 2026?, HomeAdvisor
- How Much Does A Chimney Cleaning Cost?, Forbes Home
- How much does it cost to have a chimney cleaned?, Fixr