Family-owned hearth repair serving Harlem Heights

What the hearth extension in front of the opening does

The hearth extension is the noncombustible floor that runs out in front of the fireplace opening and past its sides. Sparks, rolling embers and radiant heat land there instead of on wood flooring, carpet or a rug. The Florida Building Code, Residential, treats it as part of the fireplace, with rules for its material, thickness and size in sections R1001.9 and R1001.10.

Because it protects the floor, a hearth repair is judged by two questions at once. Does the finish hold together, and does the extension still cover the area it has to cover? Our pros answer both before any tile is lifted.

• Catches sparks and rolling embers
• Keeps radiant heat off the floor
• Marks the zone kept clear of rugs and furniture

Loose or broken bricks on a brick hearth

A brick hearth loosens brick by brick. One unit rocks underfoot, the joint around it cracks, and its neighbors soon follow. Left alone, the loose units shift enough to open gaps down into the base.

We lift the loose bricks, clean the bed, reset them in fresh mortar and refill the joints to match the existing ones. Broken units are replaced with the closest available brick. If the base under them has failed, that becomes its own line on the estimate.

• Loose units lifted and cleaned
• Bed cleaned back to sound material
• Bricks reset in fresh mortar
• Joints refilled to match

When the whole hearth finish should be replaced

Replacing the whole finish makes sense when many tiles are hollow, the matching tile is gone, or the extension has to grow to meet the size rule anyway. It also gives a chance to rebuild any layers the original job left out.

Full replacement is a bigger scope and a bigger visual change, so we only suggest it with a reason. The estimate lists removal, base preparation, the new finish, the edges and trim, and any flooring that has to be adjusted around the new extension.

• Removal and disposal
• Base preparation or rebuild
• New finish and setting materials
• Edges, trim and floor transitions

The front edge of a raised hearth top

The front edge of a raised hearth top, often a bullnose or a separate edge piece, carries weight when people sit and takes kicks from shoes. Its bond tends to break before the rest of the top.

A loose edge piece is removed, cleaned and reset on a fresh bed. If it keeps coming loose, we check the support under the overhang, since an edge that hangs past its base has little to hold it.