Our Process
How fireplace restoration is done in Black Hammock
Keeping the original firebox shape when restoring
The shape of a firebox decides how it draws. The code sets a masonry firebox at least 20 inches deep, with an exception for Rumford fireplaces, which are shallower and taller by design, at least 12 inches deep and at least one-third as deep as the opening is wide (R1001.6).
A restoration keeps the shape the fireplace was built with. Our specialists measure the firebox before relining it and do not deepen, narrow or square it to suit a stock part. If a past repair in your Black Hammock fireplace changed the shape and hurt the draft, we show you and explain the fix.
Smoke chamber parging in a fireplace restoration
Above the damper, the smoke chamber narrows the smoke into the flue. Section R1001.8 has its inner surface parged smooth in a refractory mortar meeting ASTM C199. In old fireplaces that parging has often cracked or fallen away, leaving rough, stepped brick.
Our specialists inspect the smoke chamber from below with the damper open. Where the surface has failed, it is cleaned and parged again with refractory mortar, and the work is listed on its own line of the Black Hammock estimate so you can see it even though you will never see the chamber itself.
Restoring a wood mantel at the right distance
An old wood mantel is often the part of the fireplace people love most. The code allows combustible mantels and trim on the fireplace front, but not within 6 inches of the opening, and closer than 12 inches, combustible pieces can project only 1/8 inch for every inch they sit from the opening (R1001.11).
Our specialists measure the mantel and trim on your Black Hammock fireplace against those limits before planning the restoration. A mantel that sits too close can often be reset higher on the same face, keeping the piece you want while making the fireplace fit for use.
Restoring an old outside air vent in the firebox
Some fireplaces have an outside air supply with an outlet in the firebox. The code calls for a corrosion-resistant 1/4 inch mesh at the intake and an outlet that closes and keeps burning material out of hidden spaces (R1006.2, R1006.5). In old fireplaces the outlet is often rusted open or shut and the screen long gone.
During restoration our crew checks the outlet, the duct and the intake, frees or replaces the outlet cover and restores the screen. The work on your Black Hammock fireplace is listed separately, so you can see what it adds.
