Local hearth repair in Switzerland

Before new flooring meets your Switzerland hearth, we mark the extension line and fix the edge the right way.

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

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Get Your Free Inspection

Get a quote for chimney and fireplace repair and installation in Jacksonville.

Quicker by phone? Call (904) 920-5495

Call our chimney crew

(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Hearth experts who measure before they tile

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

Hollow tiles are counted by sound, so the price follows the real damage.

Free inspection and estimateYour hearth in Switzerland 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

The hearth pad on a factory-built fireplace

Metal, factory-built fireplaces do not follow the masonry hearth rules. Its extension is whatever its listing calls for, and the code wants it readily told apart from the floor around it. Listed hearth extension products are tested to UL 1618. A cracked pad, or one that was moved, is a listing question.

For a metal fireplace in Switzerland, we find the model on the rating label and check the pad's size and material against its manual. If the pad has to be replaced, the estimate names what the listing allows. Book the free inspection at (904) 920-5495.

Switzerland is in St. Johns County. Switzerland lies inland.

What our hearth crew fixes in Switzerland

Hollow tiles found by sound and reset
Sunken or tilted extensions leveled on new support
Loose brick on the hearth relaid in fresh mortar
Wood flooring cut back from the ember zone

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

The order of a hearth repair

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.

Storm season and the hearth in Switzerland

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, by the National Hurricane Center's calendar, and high wind can move a cap wherever the chimney stands. In Switzerland, a cap lost in a storm turns the next rain into water on the hearth.

After a storm, a hearth with fresh staining gets its flue top checked before the tile work is priced.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Resetting tiles or extending the hearth, either job comes 10% off.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Wood forms found under an old slab

Some extensions were poured over plywood or boards that were meant to come out and never did. Once the work is done, nothing that burns may stay against the underside of a hearth or extension, which makes forgotten formwork a code violation however sound the slab looks. It is also a weak point, because wood under a slab can rot and take the slab's bearing with it.

The fix is to remove the wood and give the slab proper noncombustible support, or to break out the slab and pour a new one on the right base. We tell you which after seeing the underside, and the finding goes into the estimate.

Full contact under every tile

Tile on a hearth is only as strong as the bed under it. A tile set on dabs of adhesive at its corners carries its load on those dabs, and a dropped log cracks it across the gaps. The American National Standards for tile, A108 for installation and A118 for setting materials, set coverage requirements for the mortar under each unit.

On a hearth, that means back-buttering tile and stone, pressing each unit into the bed and lifting one now and then to check the contact. Larger stone pieces get a full mortar bed. It is slower than spot-setting, and it is why tile we set stays solid under a tap.

Adding depth or width to a short extension

A hearth that falls short of R1001.10 can sometimes be extended rather than rebuilt. The addition needs the same noncombustible support and thickness as the rest, and a clean joint with the old slab so the two do not crack apart. The finish then runs over both and hides the seam.

Extending changes the floor around it, so the estimate covers the flooring cut and the new edge trim as well. On a raised hearth, extra depth may mean a floor-level strip in front of the platform. We draw the layout so you see it before anything is cut.

What we check on a hearth in Switzerland before pricing

Hearth and extension measured against the opening size and R1001.10
Extension enlarged to code size, with support and joint detail shown
Stone slab glued or replaced, both options priced when both work
Hearth pad on a factory-built unit checked against its manual

Before your hearth is lifted

Do you replace only the cracked tiles or the whole hearth?

Only the cracked ones when the slab under them is sound and the tile can be matched. If the slab has moved or the extension is too small, we explain why a bigger repair makes sense and price both.

Do you work on hearths for factory-built fireplaces?

Yes. We follow the unit's listing and manual for the pad size and material, and use listed products where the maker calls for them. Have the model number ready when you call if you can find it.