Our Services
Hearths measured, repaired and finished
Written quotes from local hearth pros, and 10% off a repair booked within 72 hours of the free inspection.
What holds the hearth up
A masonry hearth extension needs support that will not burn and will not sag. The Florida residential code wants noncombustible supports under it and enough reinforcement for its own weight and any imposed loads. Brick industry guidance describes a reinforced slab where the hearth cantilevers from the fireplace wall to the floor framing, or a base filled solid with masonry.
When cracks or movement suggest the support has changed, we look at how the hearth is carried wherever the structure can be seen. If the base needs work, that becomes the first line of the repair, ahead of any finish. Finding the support problem first is what keeps the new finish from cracking along the old lines.
Keeping the hearth visibly separate from the floor
For factory-built fireplaces, the code adds a detail that is easy to miss during a remodel. The hearth extension has to be readily distinguishable from the surrounding floor. Running the same tile across the room and the hearth can erase that boundary.
If a new floor or a new hearth finish is planned, we suggest ways to keep the extension clear to the eye, a contrasting material, a border or a change in height, while still suiting the room. The goal is a hearth that anyone can see and keep clear of rugs and furniture. A border tile or a slight change in level often solves it without changing the look of the room much at all.
Where the hearth ends and the firebox begins
The firebox floor, lined with firebrick in many masonry fireplaces, is part of the firebox, and it is repaired as firebox work with materials made for direct flame. The hearth extension starts at the front of the opening and runs into the room.
Damage often crosses that line, for example a cracked extension that continues into the firebox floor. One visit can look at both, and the quote shows which parts are hearth repair and which are firebox repair, each priced on its own line. Seeing the two together also helps with the finish, since the line where the firebox floor meets the extension needs a clean, stable edge.
Measurements before materials
Every hearth quote starts with a tape measure. We record the width and height of the opening, the depth and width of the extension, its thickness and the height of the firebox floor above it. We also note the material of the adjoining floor and how the two currently meet.
Those numbers decide which rules apply, how much material is needed and whether the existing extension can simply be resurfaced. They also go into your written record, so the next person to work on the fireplace starts from facts. Measuring first also shows whether a new finish of a different thickness will change the height where the hearth meets your floor.
