Your fireplace hearth, repaired and measured in Palomar

Listed hearth extensions and floor protectors

Section R1004.2 also names a product standard. Listed and labeled hearth extensions shall comply with UL 1618, the standard that covers wall protectors, floor protectors and hearth extensions. A listed hearth product carries a label naming what it was tested for.

If your hearth is a manufactured pad, we look for that label before recommending a repair or replacement. A decorative mat sold for hearth use without that listing is a different product, and the estimate says so plainly.

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.

Damage that only shows once the finish is off

Some hearth problems stay hidden until the tile comes up, such as a cracked slab, an old patch, wood left under the base or a void where support has washed out.

We tell you before starting which findings would change the job, and we stop to show you if one appears. Nothing is added to the work without your approval, and the revised scope and price are written down first.

• A cracked slab under sound tile
• An old patch in the base
• Wood left under the hearth
• A void where support washed out

How visible a hearth repair will be

Every repair on an older hearth shows a little. New tile is cleaner, new grout is brighter and replacement stone rarely carries the exact same veining.

We tell you before the work how visible the repair is likely to be, and offer options when you want it less noticeable, such as a wider replacement or a planned contrast. There are no surprises when the drop cloths come up.

• New tile looks cleaner
• Fresh grout looks brighter
• Stone veining seldom repeats
• A wider replacement or a planned contrast as options