Cracked hearths repaired and rebuilt in Haralson Estates

A crack through a single stone hearth slab

A one-piece stone hearth can crack from a point load, a dropped log or movement under the slab. Once it cracks, the two pieces may stay flush or begin to rock against each other.

A tight crack in a well-supported slab can often be filled and left in place. A crack with movement means the slab has to be lifted and re-bedded, or replaced if the break left pieces too small to trust. We explain the choice with the slab in front of us.

• A tight, stable crack filled in place
• A moving crack lifted and re-bedded
• A badly broken slab replaced

Small burn pits on the hearth surface

Tiny dark pits or glaze burns on a tiled hearth usually mark where embers landed and cooled. On many finishes they are cosmetic, and they show the extension doing its job.

Where the marks bother you, individual tiles can be replaced. If burn marks sit right at the outer edge of the extension, we also check whether it reaches far enough, since that edge should be well clear of where embers come to rest.

Edge profiles for households with small children

Square hearth corners can sit near the height of a small child's head, and many families ask for rounded edge pieces or a softer profile when a hearth is repaired.

We can fit bullnose or eased edge pieces where the chosen material allows, and we point out when a change in edge shape affects the height or size of the extension. The protection comes first, and the profile is chosen within it.

• Bullnose edge pieces
• Eased corners
• Extension size kept intact

Replacing a manufactured hearth pad

Some fireplaces sit on a manufactured hearth pad instead of a built extension. A pad can crack, warp or lose pieces of its surface.

Before recommending a replacement pad, we read the fireplace's own manual for the size and protection it needs and look for a listing label on the pad. The replacement is chosen to meet the fireplace's requirement, since a pad that looks similar can offer different protection.

• Fireplace manual read first
• Listing label looked for on the pad
• Replacement chosen to match the requirement