Firebox repair pros for Pineloch

Side walls and the corners where they meet

Side walls often angle outward toward the room, and the corners where they meet the back wall carry stress from heat moving in two directions. Cracks and open joints in those corners are a frequent finding.

Our technicians check both side walls and all the corners, including where the walls meet the floor. A corner that has opened is rebuilt with firebrick and refractory mortar so the walls work together again, and the estimate names each area we repair.

Soft joints found with a probe

A joint can look complete and still be soft. Our technicians run a probe along the joints to find mortar that crumbles, gaps that run behind the face and sections that have already washed out.

What the probe finds decides whether repointing is enough. Sound joints stay. Soft ones are raked out and refilled, and the estimate describes the extent in plain words instead of a guess.

Glazed or discolored brick at the hottest spot

The spot where the fire burns hottest, usually the lower back wall, often shows glazing, darker coloring or a slightly melted look on the brick face. By itself that is a sign of use, and often nothing more.

When that area also has cracks, loose brick or eroded joints, it tends to be where repairs start. Our technicians check it closely and explain whether it is simply well used or ready for new brick.

Notes that help before the firebox visit

A few notes help us plan the visit and bring the right materials for your firebox.

• Where the cracks, gaps or loose bricks are, back wall, sides or floor
• Whether the damage has changed since you first saw it
• Any water, rust streaks or white deposits in the firebox
• Earlier repairs you know about and roughly when they were done
• When the fireplace was last used, so the brick is cold for the visit

Counting bricks for an honest estimate

A firebox repair price depends on how many bricks and how much joint length need work. Guesswork in either direction is unfair, either to you or to the job.

Our technicians count the damaged bricks and measure the joints that need repointing during the free inspection. The estimate shows those numbers, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.