Cracked firebox repair in Brentwood
The back wall, the side walls and the floor of your Brentwood firebox, each checked free and quoted separately.
- Fully licensed and insured
- Locally owned
- Family owned and operated
- Same-day service
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Firebox experts for Brentwood fireplaces
- Locally owned in Jacksonville
- Family owned and operated
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed
- Free inspection and estimate
- Same-day service available
- 10% off any service
Each wall of your Brentwood firebox gets its own line, so a sound wall is not rebuilt along with a failed one.
- Free inspection and estimateEvery wall of the firebox in Brentwood is tapped and probed cold, and the failed bricks and joints are marked at no charge.
- Upfront pricing, no hidden feesEach wall is quoted for what it needs, a few joints, a few bricks or a full reline, so a small repair stays small.
- 100% satisfaction guaranteedIf a joint we repointed opens again after it has cured and been used as the ticket says, we come back and redo it.
A firebox painted black
Some fireboxes have been painted, often to hide soot or stains. Paint on firebrick does not stop the lining from wearing, and it gets in the way of a repair, since fresh mortar does not bond well to a painted face.
Where joints or bricks need work, the paint is taken off the areas we repair, as one refractory mortar maker requires before its product goes on. The estimate says how much of the painted surface that involves and what the rest will look like afterward. Painted firebox with open joints in Brentwood? Talk it through with us at (904) 920-5495.
Brentwood is an inland community. Brentwood is one of the named neighborhoods of Jacksonville.
Firebox work for Brentwood fireplaces
- Open joints raked out and repointed in refractory mortar
- Cracked firebrick replaced to size, one brick at a time
- Each wall of your Brentwood firebox priced on its own line
- Firebox rebuilds that keep the throat and depth to code
How firebox repair runs
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Keep the firebox cold
Let the fireplace go unused for several hours ahead of our visit, so each wall is cool to the touch.
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Tap, probe and mark
Each brick is sounded, each joint probed, and the failed ones marked and written up by wall.
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Rake, rebrick or reline
Joints are raked and repointed, failed bricks replaced and worn walls relined in C199 mortar.
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Cure date on the ticket
The mortar maker's drying time sets the date of the first small fire, written down before we leave.
New firebrick next to old in Brentwood
Inland or coastal, new firebrick comes out of the box lighter than a lining that has seen years of fires in Brentwood. The difference shows most on a back wall with a few replaced bricks.
We tell you before ordering how close the color will be, and the new bricks darken with use.
10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection
Cracked firebrick? Book the repair inside 72 hours of our visit and save 10%.
The sloped back of a firebox
In a conventional firebox the side walls and the lower part of the back are vertical, and above that the back leans forward toward the opening. The Brick Industry Association describes the slope as the support for the damper and the flue lining above, and recommends a flat plane over a curve, which reflects more heat into the room.
When we reline or rebuild the back wall, the slope goes back at the angle it had, with new firebrick cut to the line. A back wall rebuilt straight up changes how the fireplace draws and how much heat it sends out, so the angle is measured before the old brick comes out.
Where the firebox ends and the smoke chamber begins
Over the throat, the smoke chamber narrows toward the flue, and the code (R1001.8) wants its inner surface parged smooth with ASTM C199 refractory mortar, the same class used in the firebox joints, but it is a separate part of the fireplace and a separate repair.
During a firebox repair we look up through the damper with a light. When parging is missing or the chamber walls are rough or open, it goes on the estimate as smoke chamber repair, a line you can schedule with the firebox or later. Doing both on one visit saves setting up twice, but the choice is yours.
Clearances when a rebuild opens the wall
A full firebox rebuild can expose the framing around the fireplace. Section R1001.11 requires wood beams, joists, studs and other combustibles to stay at least 2 inches from the front faces and sides of a masonry fireplace and 4 inches from the back faces.
When a rebuild opens the masonry far enough to see those distances, we check them and write down what we found. Framing closer than the code allows goes on the estimate as a separate item, since it has to be corrected before the fireplace is used again. A lining repair alone does not open the wall that far.
Checked in Brentwood before any brick comes out
- Joint widths checked against the quarter-inch limit in R1001.5
- Old patches and bag mortar removed from repaired joints
- Paint cleaned off wherever new mortar has to bond
- Hairline cracks left in place and noted for later checks
Before the first fire after a repair
Will new firebrick match the old color?
Close, though not exact. Firebrick color varies by maker and batch, and the old lining has darkened with use, so new bricks look lighter at first. We tell you before ordering.
Should I stop using the fireplace until the repair?
If bricks are loose, joints are open deep into the wall or the back wall bows, yes. Hairline cracks in sound brick can wait for the visit, and we tell you which you have. Call (904) 920-5495 to book a free inspection in Brentwood.
More services in Brentwood
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A sound firebox for your Brentwood fireplace
Loose brick or open joints in Brentwood? The firebox inspection is free.
Free Inspection