Hearth tile and stone repair in Westyn Bay

Measuring the opening decides the rest of the plan

Every size question on a hearth goes back to the fireplace opening, meaning its width, its height and whether its bottom sits at floor height or above it. Those three numbers decide which thickness and which extension size the code expects.

Our specialists take them at the start of the visit and write them on the estimate, so the plan for the hearth is tied to your fireplace instead of a generic drawing.

• Width of the opening across the front
• Height from the firebox floor to the top of the opening
• Height of the firebox floor above the extension
• Depth and width of the existing extension

Keeping a good base under a new surface

Not every hearth replacement needs demolition to the floor. When the concrete or masonry base is sound, thick enough and properly supported, the finish can be removed and renewed on top of it.

We confirm the base before promising that shortcut, because a new finish cannot fix what lies under it. Saving a good base usually shortens the job and reduces dust, and the estimate shows it as its own step.

• Base checked for soundness
• Thickness confirmed
• Support confirmed
• Finish renewed on top

Checking the thickness of an existing hearth

Thickness is hard to see once a hearth is finished. A chipped edge, a removed tile or a small test opening shows what lies below the surface and how deep the solid material goes.

We check depth where damage has already opened the surface before cutting anything new. The measurement goes into the estimate beside the code minimum for your fireplace, so the recommendation rests on what is actually there.

• Depth checked at existing damage
• Compared with the code minimum
• Result written into the estimate

The front edge of a raised hearth top

The front edge of a raised hearth top, often a bullnose or a separate edge piece, carries weight when people sit and takes kicks from shoes. Its bond tends to break before the rest of the top.

A loose edge piece is removed, cleaned and reset on a fresh bed. If it keeps coming loose, we check the support under the overhang, since an edge that hangs past its base has little to hold it.