Fireplace

Inside a fireplace restoration in Alderene Park

Matching mortar to softer old brick

Stronger is not better when it comes to mortar on old brick. The Park Service repointing brief shows a wall where hard portland cement mortar, less permeable than the soft brick, trapped moisture until water pressure popped the faces off the bricks. The mortar is meant to be the sacrificial part of the wall, protecting the brick.

Our crew therefore picks the repointing mortar for the brick in front of them and never reaches for the hardest mix available. The mortar type used on your Alderene Park fireplace is named on your written record.

Planning a fireplace restoration in stages

A full restoration can be split into stages when that suits your budget or your schedule. The repairs that affect safe use, such as the firebox lining, the damper and the hearth, come first. Cleaning, repointing and surround work can follow once the fireplace is sound.

We write the stages into your Alderene Park plan with the price of each, and tell you if any stage has to happen before another. Each stage is booked on the same terms, with a free inspection behind it and 10% off when you book it within 72 hours of that inspection.

What the brick can and cannot tell us about a fireplace

It is tempting to date an old fireplace by its look, but appearance alone is a poor guide. Brick, mortar and design details can come from the original build, a later repair or a remodel. We do not assign a history to your fireplace that we cannot support.

Records, drawings or old photographs of the room are worth sharing. They help our specialists judge what is original on your Alderene Park fireplace and what is not, and that shapes what the restoration tries to keep. What the restoration can promise is a fireplace that works properly and looks like itself.

Keeping a restored fireplace in good order

NFPA's recommendation is a yearly cleaning and inspection of heating equipment and chimneys by a qualified professional. For a restored fireplace, that yearly look catches a loose brick or a sticking damper while it is still a small repair.

Our fireplace maintenance visits cover the firebox, damper, hearth, doors and face, with a written record each time. Homeowners in Alderene Park can book them on the same terms as the restoration, and same-day visits are available when the schedule allows. Each visit adds to the written history of the fireplace.