Hearth repair in Spring Lake

Finish materials that suit a hearth

Hearth finishes come in many forms. One fireplace maker lists tile, slate, brick, concrete, metal, glass, marble and stone as noncombustible materials that may cover a hearth extension, and each of them repairs in its own way.

At the free inspection our pros identify the material you have, explain how it repairs and show where a patch will be visible. You choose between a spot repair and a wider replacement with the tradeoffs laid out in the estimate.

Hearths in front of corner fireplaces

A corner fireplace throws its heat and sparks at an angle, and its hearth is often cut at angles to match. Those angles make it easy for one side of the extension to stop short of the distance past the opening that the code asks for.

We measure along each side of the opening as well as straight out from the center. Where one side falls short, we show how the extension can be reshaped so both sides meet the rule and the hearth still sits comfortably in the corner.

When the firebox floor needs work too

Cracked firebrick in the floor of the firebox, loose units at the back of the opening or open joints in the firebox walls often appear alongside hearth damage.

Those items belong with firebox repair and are written as their own lines. Doing both in one visit can save time, and keeping them separate on the estimate lets you see what each part of the fireplace needs.

• Cracked firebrick in the firebox floor
• Loose units at the back of the opening
• Open joints in the firebox walls

Why a flush hearth needs its full extension

A fireplace whose firebox floor sits at the height of the room floor has nothing to stop a rolling log or a spray of embers. The hearth extension in front of it is the only barrier between the fire and the floor.

That is why the code keeps the full thickness rule for flush fireplaces, and why we measure their extensions closely. If a flush hearth is short or thin, we treat it as a priority item on the estimate.