Loose tiles and cracked hearths fixed in Milk District

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

Hearths on concrete slabs and on framed floors

A hearth resting on a concrete slab and one resting on a framed floor fail in different ways. On a slab, cracks tend to follow the concrete beneath. On a framed floor, deflection and damp in the framing are the usual suspects.

We identify which you have at the start, since it changes what the repair must include. Where a framed floor is involved, access from below, when the house has it, helps us judge the support without opening more of the hearth than necessary.

• On a slab, cracks follow the concrete
• On a framed floor, deflection and damp
• Access from below where the house has it

Checking hearth support from below

In houses with access under the floor, the support under a hearth can be seen from below, including the masonry or concrete that carries it and the framing around it. That view often explains a crack faster than any amount of looking from above.

Where access exists, we look before opening the hearth. Where it does not, we open the smallest area that will answer the question, and we tell you in advance how that opening will be closed.

Why the setting bed matters on a hearth

Under every tile is a bed that holds it, whether a mortar bed, a thin-set layer or an older adhesive. When that bed was thin, patchy or the wrong product, tiles let go even over a good base.

When we reset tiles, we remove the old bed down to a clean, sound surface and set each tile in full contact. Hollow spots under corners are what crack tiles later, and a full bed is what prevents them.

• Old bed removed to sound material
• Full contact under every tile
• Setting product suited to the location
• Curing directions followed