Our Services
How our craftsmen repair a hearth
Every hearth repair ends with a clean room, clear cure times and a written record of the work.
No wood left under a masonry hearth
The code for masonry fireplaces says combustible material shall not remain against the underside of a hearth or hearth extension after construction. Brick industry guidance explains why builders use noncombustible forming for the hearth slab, since forming under the slab cannot be removed later and becomes a permanent part of the fireplace.
Wood forms, plywood or framing left touching the underside of a hearth is a concern worth finding. Where the underside can be seen, we look, and where a repair opens the hearth, we check what it sits on before closing it again.
Gaps between the hearth, the fireplace and the floor
A gap opening between the hearth and the fireplace face, or between the hearth and the floor, means something has moved. The hearth may have settled, the floor may have shifted, or an earlier repair may have shrunk away from its neighbours. Gaps also collect ash, dust and moisture, and that keeps them growing.
We measure the gap and check whether the hearth is level and solid. If the movement is in the hearth, the repair addresses its support. If the movement seems to come from the house structure itself, we tell you plainly that a structural assessment comes first, before any finish is repaired.
Materials chosen for the heat they will see
Every layer of a hearth extension has to be noncombustible, from the base to the finish. The setting materials and grout near the opening also see more heat than the same products laid elsewhere in the house. Organic backer boards, wood underlayment and ordinary construction adhesives have no place under a hearth extension.
We choose the base, the setting bed and the grout for the position they will be in and use each exactly as its maker directs. If you have picked a finish, we check that the maker allows it in front of a fireplace before it is ordered. Decorative stone veneers, wood-look tiles and resin products vary widely in what their makers allow in front of a fireplace, so the product sheet is checked every time.
After the hearth repair
Follow the cure times we give you before lighting a fire, and keep heavy items off new work until it is ready. Grout sealers and stone treatments, where used, have their own timings too. Sweep the hearth with a soft brush rather than a stiff one for the first weeks, and use only the cleaners the finish maker recommends.
Watch the repaired area over the first weeks of use. New movement or a crack that returns is worth reporting, since it tells us something about the base. You have a written record of what was done, and our workmanship warranty covers the repair.
