Fireplace
Inside a fireplace restoration in Sanlando Springs
Relining a worn firebox with new firebrick
The firebrick lining takes the heat of every fire, so it is often the first part of an old fireplace to wear out. The Florida Building Code calls for a lining at least 2 inches thick, of firebrick made to ASTM C27 or C1261, with joints no wider than 1/4 inch (R1001.5).
Where the old lining has cracked, spalled or thinned, our crew removes the failed bricks and relays the firebox in new firebrick, keeping the pattern the fireplace was built with where that is possible. A partial relining is quoted when the damage is confined to one wall of your Sanlando Springs firebox.
Restoring the lintel over an old fireplace opening
The brick over a fireplace opening rests on a noncombustible lintel that bears at least 4 inches onto the masonry at each end (R1001.7). In an old fireplace a steel lintel can rust and bend, and the brick above it shows the strain with a sag or cracks stepping up from the corners.
Restoring the opening means supporting the brick, replacing the failed lintel and relaying the brick above it, reusing the original brick wherever it comes out whole. Our crew in Sanlando Springs keeps the arch or flat top the fireplace was built with.
Stripping paint from a fireplace surround
Many brick fireplaces were painted at some point, and some owners want the brick back. BIA guidance is to try nonabrasive paint removal first and to use a poultice, paste or gel that clings to the surface when a coating has soaked into the masonry.
Paint removal is slow, and some brick never gives up every trace. Our specialists test a hidden area of your Sanlando Springs fireplace, show you the result and tell you honestly how close the full face is likely to come before you commit to the work.
White deposits on a restored fireplace face
White, powdery deposits on fireplace brick are efflorescence. As Brick Industry Association guidance explains, three things have to come together: soluble salts in or near the brickwork, enough water resting on them to dissolve them, and pores that carry the solution to the surface.
Brushing the deposit away treats the symptom. Our specialists find the water behind it, whether from above the fireplace or a wet wall, and fix that first. The restored face in your Sanlando Springs home is cleaned once the source is dealt with. Deposits that return after cleaning are a sign the water has not been stopped yet.
