Fireplace brick and mortar repair for homes in Richmond Heights
In Richmond Heights, firebox repair stays separate from the face, the hearth and the damper.
- Owned and run locally
- Available for same-day service
- Fully licensed and insured
- Family owned and run
Firebox damage worth a closer look
- Backing masonry showing through a gap
- Grit falling from the firebox walls
- Uneven or sunken firebox floor
- Damper frame shifting in its bed
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Firebrick, refractory mortar and the repair plan
Fireboxes built without a separate firebrick lining
The code also allows a masonry firebox without a separate lining, provided its walls are built thicker in solid masonry. In that case the brick you see is the wall itself, not a replaceable face.
Repairs to an unlined firebox must not thin the wall. Cutting out damaged units and setting thinner replacements would reduce the thickness the code relies on. We check whether a lining is present before deciding how deep a repair can go, and explain what that means for the method.
Deep voids behind the joints are filled in layers
Some joints lose mortar well below the surface. Refractory mortar makers note that deep cracks and joints should be filled in layers, letting each layer set before the next. One thick fill can shrink and pull away.
Where a void runs deeper still, a castable refractory product may be the better material. We look at the depth before choosing, and the estimate names the product and the method. That keeps a quick surface repair from hiding a hollow joint that will fail at the next hot fire.
Why the firebox is cleaned before it is repaired
Refractory mortar needs clean, sound surfaces to bond to. Ash, soot and loose grit left on bricks and in joints act as a parting layer, and new mortar set over them lets go early.
Before repair, we clear the working area of the firebox and brush out the joints we will fill. If heavy deposits are present higher up, sweeping the chimney first keeps debris from falling onto fresh work. We tell you when that sequence makes sense and list the sweep as a separate item.
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.
What a firebox repair estimate covers
- Sloped back wall shape kept
- Earlier unsuitable patches removed
- Curing steps written down
- Grate condition noted
Before you book a firebox repair
What mortar goes between the firebricks?
A refractory mortar made for firebrick joints. The residential code calls for medium-duty refractory mortar in a firebrick lining, laid in thin joints. We name the exact product on the estimate and follow its directions.
Can a high-temperature caulk seal firebox cracks?
Only if the product is a refractory mortar made for firebrick joints. Many heat-resistant sealants are made for lower temperatures and char or shrink in the fire chamber. We read the label before anything goes into a joint.
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