Loose tiles and cracked hearths fixed in Roosevelt Park

Wood left under a hearth from the original build

Hearths were often poured over wooden forms, and the code is plain about what should happen afterward. Section R1001.9 says combustible material shall not remain against the underside of hearths and hearth extensions after construction.

Sometimes a repair reveals boards or plywood still in place under the slab. That finding changes the job from a surface fix to a support fix. We show you what was found, explain the options for removing it or rebuilding the extension on proper support, and wait for your approval before going further.

A hearth that cracked again after an earlier repair

When a hearth cracks in the same place after a repair, the earlier work treated the symptom. The cause usually lies beneath the finish, in movement of the base, a joint in the slab or a support nobody checked.

Bring whatever you know about the earlier job to the free inspection. We look past the finish, explain why the crack came back and write a scope that deals with the cause, so this repair does not become one more in a series.

Hearth protection for a wood insert

A wood-burning insert changes the fireplace in front of it. Insert manuals set their own hearth protection in front of the unit, and those figures can be larger than the fireplace's original extension.

When an insert is in place or planned, we read its manual alongside the code before sizing a hearth repair. The extension then covers both requirements, and you avoid rebuilding the hearth a second time when the insert goes in.

• The insert's own hearth figures
• The code size for the fireplace
• An extension planned to cover both

Hearth tiles that have shifted out of line

Tiles that have slid, tilted or opened their joints show movement in the bed or the base. A hearth whose grout lines have wandered is telling you the tiles are no longer held firmly.

We check whether the movement is old and stable or still happening. Stable shifts can be reset during a finish repair. Active movement is traced to its cause first, because resetting tiles over a moving base only straightens them for a while.