Fireplace brick and mortar repair for homes in Lauderdale Isles
Save 10% on firebox repair you approve within 72 hours of your free inspection at home.
- Owned and run locally
- Available for same-day service
- Fully licensed and insured
- Family owned and run
Firebox damage worth a closer look
- A brick that rocks when touched
- Cracks running through a firebrick
- Backing masonry showing through a gap
- Damper frame shifting in its bed
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Repairing firebrick and mortar the right way
Keeping the chamber's shape during a rebuild
The code sets a minimum depth for a masonry firebox and ties the passage above it to the size of the flue. Those proportions help the fireplace draw. A rebuild that makes the chamber shallower, taller or narrower can create a smoke problem that was not there before.
We record the existing shape before removing anything and rebuild to it, unless the original was itself the cause of a fault. If a change is needed, we explain why and what it will do before you approve it. The estimate notes that the chamber keeps its proportions.
Everyday habits that wear the firebox floor
Logs dropped from standing height, iron tools used to lever burning wood and ash shovels scraped across the joints all wear the floor. None is a problem once; repeated over many fires, they loosen units and open joints.
Lay logs on the grate rather than dropping them, and sweep ashes lightly rather than scraping. These habits cost nothing and extend the life of a repaired floor. We mention them after a floor repair because they decide how long the new work lasts.
Liquid fire starters and flash heat
Manufacturer manuals warn against gasoline, kerosene, lantern fuel and charcoal lighter fluid in a fireplace. Beyond the obvious danger, a flash of intense heat stresses firebrick and joints far more than a steady fire.
If a liquid starter has been used and units have cracked or spalled since, the pattern may show it. We check the area nearest where the fire was built. Newspaper, dry kindling or natural starters light a fire without that shock to the lining. Build the fire from the bottom up and let it catch at its own pace.
Sudden temperature swings and firebrick
Firebrick is chosen for the firebox because it resists high heat and sudden temperature change better than ordinary brick. Brick industry guidance notes that refractories stand up to thermal shock. That resistance has limits, though.
Throwing water on a burning fire, or building a large fire in a cold, damp firebox, pushes the lining hard. Cracks that appear after such an event tend to run across the unit rather than along the joints. Let fires burn down on their own, and start the season with small fires rather than a full load.
Mortar, brick and curing on the estimate
- Lining type identified
- Damper seat checked and supported
- Earlier unsuitable patches removed
- Grate condition noted
Before you book a firebox repair
How soon can I light a fire after the firebox repair?
That depends on the product used. Most refractory mortars need drying time and then a heat cure that starts with a small, low fire. We give you the steps in writing before we leave.
Can the firebox be repaired while a wood insert is in place?
Not usually. The insert covers most of the lining, so it has to come out first, following its manual, and go back the same way afterwards. We list the removal and refitting as their own item.
How should I prepare the firebox before you arrive?
Let it go cold, remove cold ashes into a covered metal container kept outside, and leave loose pieces where they fell. Clear the hearth so we can kneel and work, and set out any manual or note of earlier repairs.
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Local service. Careful repairs. A fireplace worth coming home to.
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Chimney & Fireplace Brands We Work With
DuraVent 
Olympia Chimney and Venting 
Copperfield Chimney Supply 
Rutland 
Heatilator 
Heat & Glo