Firebox lining repair across Margate
Upfront pricing for each wall of the firebox, with anything newly found priced before it is added.
- Owned and run locally
- Available for same-day service
- Fully licensed and insured
- Family owned and run
What cracked or loose firebrick looks like
- Firebrick pieces on the firebox floor
- A brick that rocks when touched
- Soft, sandy mortar in the joints
- Uneven or sunken firebox floor
Jump to
Firebox rebuilds and repointing explained
A cracked firebrick, and when it has to go
Heat cycles leave fine lines in many firebricks without harming them. A crack that has opened, a brick that rocks in its bed or a face that is crumbling is different. Manufacturer guidance for firebrick linings calls for replacing units that are crumbly or cracked beyond a fine line.
We check each cracked unit for width, depth and looseness. Some can stay and be watched. Others are cut out and replaced. The estimate lists which bricks go and which stay, so you know why the repair covers the units it does.
The firebox floor takes the most abuse
The floor of the firebox, sometimes called the inner hearth, carries the grate, the logs and the tools. Dropped logs chip it, grate legs grind into it and ash shovels scrape its joints. Its units often loosen before the walls do.
We check each floor unit for movement and each joint for loss. Loose floor bricks are lifted, their bed cleaned and the units reset or replaced in refractory mortar. The floor inside the opening is firebox work; the hearth extension in front of the opening is a separate repair.
Dust and debris from firebox work
Cutting out firebrick and old mortar makes dust and rubble. Before starting, we cover the hearth, the floor and nearby furniture, and we set up so dust stays in and near the opening.
Old brick, mortar and packaging leave with us; debris is cleaned up and hauled away. Should the work open the chimney at the throat, we cover that opening before leaving each work day. We sweep the firebox and hearth at the end so you see the finished lining clearly.
Checking the firebox after a chimney fire
Under the national fireplace and chimney standard, an event likely to have caused damage is a reason to have the system examined. An earlier chimney fire is exactly that kind of event, and the firebox takes part of its heat.
After a chimney fire, we check the lining for cracked and spalled units and failed joints, and the damper seat above. The chimney itself is examined by the services that cover it. Firebox repairs are listed separately so you can see what the event did to each part.
Firebox repair lines you approve
- Lining type identified
- Repair boundary set at sound material
- Dust contained at the opening
- Curing steps written down
Your firebox questions, plainly answered
How do I know if my firebox has firebrick or panels?
Firebrick shows real joints between separate units. Panels are larger pieces, often with a brick pattern molded in, and usually sit in factory-built units. We confirm the lining on the visit, because each type follows a different repair route.
Do you repair the floor inside the firebox?
Yes. The floor inside the opening is part of the firebox and takes heavy wear from grates, logs and tools. Loose or cracked floor units are reset or replaced in refractory mortar, and the grate is checked at the same time.
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.
We received your request
Our team will contact you to arrange your inspection.
Chimney & Fireplace Brands We Work With
DuraVent 
Olympia Chimney and Venting 
Copperfield Chimney Supply 
Rutland 
Heatilator 
Heat & Glo