Loose tiles and cracked hearths fixed in Belmere

Closing the gap where the fireplace meets the hearth

Where a factory-built unit meets its hearth extension, one maker's instructions call for the gap between the fireplace frame and the extension to be sealed with a noncombustible material. An open seam there is a path for embers toward the floor structure.

Grout that has fallen out of that joint, or a caulk never meant for the location, turns up often on hearth visits. We clear the seam, reseal it with a suitable noncombustible material and note the work on your invoice.

Fire tools and grates that chip the hearth

Pokers, shovels and log grabbers get dropped. A heavy grate slid across the opening drags on the edge where the firebox floor meets the extension. Over a few seasons those small impacts add up to chipped glaze and cracked edge pieces.

We repair the damaged pieces and suggest simple changes, such as a tool stand placed off the edge and a pad under the log carrier, that keep the new finish looking new.

Hearth protection for a wood insert

A wood-burning insert changes the fireplace in front of it. Insert manuals set their own hearth protection in front of the unit, and those figures can be larger than the fireplace's original extension.

When an insert is in place or planned, we read its manual alongside the code before sizing a hearth repair. The extension then covers both requirements, and you avoid rebuilding the hearth a second time when the insert goes in.

• The insert's own hearth figures
• The code size for the fireplace
• An extension planned to cover both

Broken corner pieces on a hearth

Corners and the ends of edge pieces take hard knocks, and they are often the first parts of a hearth to break. A broken corner can expose the setting bed and let ash and moisture into the joint.

We cut out the broken piece cleanly and replace it with a matching corner or edge unit. Where the old profile is no longer made, we suggest a replacement shape for both corners so the hearth stays symmetrical.