Local hearth tile and slab repair in Murray Hill

A hearth that sounds hollow is next to crack. Local pros in Murray Hill find it by sound, for free.

Fully licensed and insured
Locally owned
Family owned and operated
Same-day service

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(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Local hearth repair pros for Murray Hill homes

Locally owned in Jacksonville
Family owned and operated
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Free inspection and estimate
Same-day service available
10% off any service

We measure the extension against the code on every hearth job, not only when asked.

Free inspection and estimateYour hearth in Murray Hill is sounded, leveled and measured on a free visit before any price is written.
100% satisfaction guaranteedA tile or stone we set that comes loose is ours to fix, and we return to reset it.
Family owned and operatedA family-owned local crew explains each layer of the repair, from the support to the grout line.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

A gap opening where the hearth meets the firebox

The inner hearth sits on the fireplace foundation, while the extension in front may rest on something else. When the two settle at different rates, a joint opens across the front of the opening. A thin, stable line is one thing. A gap that widens, or one that has dropped at one end, points below the floor.

The gap's width and its level difference at your Murray Hill fireplace are measured, and we write the numbers on the ticket, so a later visit can tell whether it is still moving. Filling a moving joint with mortar only hides it for a while.

The county for Murray Hill is Duval County. Murray Hill sits away from the coastline.

Hearth repair work we take on in Murray Hill

Stone slabs rebedded, glued or replaced
Inner hearth firebrick replaced in refractory mortar
Ash dump frames and lids reset or replaced
Your hearth in Murray Hill measured and sketched before work

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

From the first tap to the first fire in Murray Hill

Describe the hearth on the call
Cracked, hollow, sunken or too small, a short description sets up the free visit and what we bring.
Sounding and measuring
Each tile is tapped, the slab's level is read and the extension is measured against the opening.
Support first, surface second
A moving slab or missing support is fixed before tile or stone goes back on a full bed of the named mortar.
Cured before heat, then handed back
The bed cures before grout and fire, and we show you the finished edge and where the clear zone ends.

Sizing up the ember zone in Murray Hill

How far an ember travels has nothing to do with the coast. In Murray Hill, what decides whether the floor past the hearth gets scorched is the extension's depth, the screen and the size of the fire.

If the floor beyond a hearth in Murray Hill carries dark spots, we measure the extension and check the screen before anything else.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Tile, stone or slab, hearth repair in Murray Hill comes 10% off.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Working out the 6 square foot line

R1001.10 switches from the smaller extension to the larger one at an opening of 6 square feet. The opening is its width times its height in inches, and 6 square feet is 864 square inches. A 36 by 24 inch opening lands exactly on the line. A 32 by 26 inch opening comes to 832 and falls just under it.

At or over the line, the extension runs 20 inches in front and 12 inches past each side. Under it, 16 and 8. The measurements and the arithmetic go on the ticket, so anyone can check the size we built to.

Room for movement at the hearth's edges

Where a tiled hearth meets a wall, a raised platform or the firebox, a rigid grout joint has no room to move. Heating, cooling and settling push on that edge, and the tile or grout there cracks first. The movement joint guidance in the TCNA Handbook calls for soft joints where tile meets other materials and changes plane.

At a hearth the soft joint has to handle heat as well, so its filler is chosen for the temperature at that spot, and a joint beside the firebox stays noncombustible. We mark where the movement joints go on the sketch, so the next person does not grout over them.

Relaying loose brick on a hearth

A brick hearth surface fails at its joints. Once mortar erodes or cracks, the units loosen and rock, and water from cleaning reaches the bed. Relaying means lifting the loose brick, cleaning old mortar off each unit and off the bed, and setting them back on fresh mortar with full joints.

Brick in front of the opening sees heat and wear, so we reuse sound units where we can and replace cracked ones with brick matched for size and color. Joints are tooled to match the rest of the surface. The number of units relaid is on the ticket, so the invoice matches what you saw.

Tile, slab, support and size, in writing

Loose units reset on a full bed of the named setting mortar
Extension enlarged to code size, with support and joint detail shown
Flooring or trim inside the clear zone cut back, installer named
Ash dump frame reset in refractory mortar and lid fit checked

Hearth repair questions from Murray Hill

Can my hearth be made bigger without tearing it out?

It can when the existing slab is sound. An addition on proper support, joined cleanly to the old slab, brings the size up, and new tile across both hides the seam. The estimate shows the new outline.

Is the hearth inspection in Murray Hill really free?

Yes. We measure and check the hearth, show you what we found and leave a written estimate at no charge. You decide afterward, with no pressure from us.