Loose tiles and cracked hearths fixed in Bay Ridge

The metal strip under the front of some fireplaces

Some factory-built fireplaces ship with an ember protector, a strip of galvanized sheet metal placed between the hearth extension and the bottom front edge of the unit. One maker's manual says it goes in before the fireplace is secured, to stop glowing embers from falling through that joint.

When a hearth is replaced, that strip can be bent, cut short or left out entirely. We check for it during removal and replace it with the maker's part or the specified sheet metal before the new finish closes the joint.

Tiles that sound hollow when tapped

Tapping a hearth with a small tool tells a lot. A firmly set tile gives a sharp sound, while a tile that has lost its bond to the bed sounds dull and hollow even when it looks perfect.

Hollow tiles tend to crack at the corners or pop loose when someone steps on an edge. We map them during the visit, count how many have let go and use that count to decide whether spot resetting will hold or the finish needs to come up.

• A sharp sound over a firmly set tile
• A dull, hollow note over a loose one
• Hollow corners that crack first
• A count that decides spot reset or full replacement

A hearth that cracked again after an earlier repair

When a hearth cracks in the same place after a repair, the earlier work treated the symptom. The cause usually lies beneath the finish, in movement of the base, a joint in the slab or a support nobody checked.

Bring whatever you know about the earlier job to the free inspection. We look past the finish, explain why the crack came back and write a scope that deals with the cause, so this repair does not become one more in a series.

Protecting the room during hearth repair

Hearth work happens in the middle of a living space. Cutting tile and breaking out old setting beds makes dust, and heavy material has to cross your floors.

Our crew lays protection from the door to the fireplace, contains the work area and cleans up at the end of each visit. We tell you in advance which days will be noisy and dusty, so the household can plan around them.

• Floor protection from door to fireplace
• A contained work area
• Cleanup at the end of each visit
• Notice of the noisy and dusty days