Fireplace
Inside a fireplace restoration in Markham
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 Markham fireplace changed the shape and hurt the draft, we show you and explain the fix.
Replacing broken brick on a fireplace face
A brick that has cracked through or lost its face is replaced rather than patched. On a restoration the replacement should look like its neighbors, so our pros look for a brick that matches in size, color and texture, and show it to you before it goes in.
Each replaced brick is set in mortar matched to the surrounding joints. The count of bricks to replace is on your Markham estimate, so a few damaged units never become an open-ended line. Where a damaged brick sits at the edge of the opening, the masonry around it is supported while it is replaced.
Coordinating fireplace restoration with room work
A fireplace restoration often happens alongside painting, flooring or a room update. The order matters: masonry cleaning and repointing make dust and use water, so they belong before new paint and floors go in, and the hearth extension should be settled before flooring meets it.
Tell us who else is working in the room and when. Our crew plans the restoration in your Markham home around that schedule, covers everything in the room, cleans up at the end of each day and hauls the debris away. If the room is being painted, the masonry work is finished first so the painter starts on a clean, dry wall.
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 Markham 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.
