Did you know that owning a fireplace can increase the value of your home? Many potential homeowners would pay extra for a home that has a fireplace installed in it compared to one that bricksdidn’t. In fact, a survey by Angie’s List revealed that nearly 80 percent of real estate agents believe that a fireplace can raise a home’s value by anywhere from $1,000 – $5,000. While 18 percent said it could raise the value of your home by more than $5,000! This is great news for homeowners who have a home that has a fireplace. However, if you have a fireplace hearth that is looking disheveled, it can have the opposite effect and actually decrease your home’s value. Not many people are looking for a home that they have to put a lot of work into, that’s why it is important to keep your fireplace and its hearth looking beautiful. Also, if your hearth’s masonry is beginning to crack and crumble, it could be compromising the safety of your household. At Northeastern Masonry & Chimney we want you to be happy with the way your hearth looks. That’s why we make sure our masons are experts of their craft. We can take your old, crumbling, stained hearth and bring back to its original beauty, or we can give your fireplace a brand new look.

Your Hearth

Although your hearth is the most decorative part of your fireplace, it actually serves a very important role in keeping your fireplace safe. Fireplace hearths are made from non combustible material, such as stone, brick, tile, or marble. Your fireplace hearth includes the floor or ledge on your fireplace that extends into the room, as well as the wall around and above the fireplace. The part of your hearth that contains the floor of the fireplace that extends into your living area prevents burning embers or logs from falling or popping onto your floor. This is especially important for people that have wood burning fireplaces or stoves as they serve a dual purpose of protecting your floors from embers as wall as an area where you can place your fireplace and wood handling tools that you may not want to set on your carpet. The part of your hearth that outlines your fireplace also acts as a barrier protecting the rest of your home from heat and floating hot ash. Many homeowners with children will also use the hearth as a way to outline areas that are dangerous for their children to play in. Giving children a visual as to where they can and can’t play can help keep them safer when a fireplace is in use.

Hearth Repair

Now that you know about the important role that your hearth plays in your home’s safety as well as aesthetics, you can see why it is important to keep your hearth in good shape. If you notice that your hearth needs some repairs, the experienced masons at Northeastern Masonry and Chimney can repair it. Although it may not seem like replacing a few crumbling bricks is too difficult, there is actually a great deal of knowledge and expertise that is needed to make masonry repairs. One of the most difficult things about repairing a hearth is choosing the right brick. This is because older fireplaces sometimes used brick styles that are difficult to find nowadays. Also, even if a mason can find the right type of brick to use, your hearth brickwork could be faded, which can make new bricks really stand out amongst older brickwork. We consider masonry as a true art here At Northeastern Masonry and Repair, and we will not consider a job complete until we have perfectly matched you brickwork and it meets your standards.

Hearth Refacing

If you are tired of the way your hearth looks, you can give it a total makeover with a hearth refacing. Refacing consists of totally removing the old masonry from your fireplace face and replacing it with new brick or other materials. There are a lot of materials available for refacing including brick, stone, and tiles. This means that whether you are looking for a rustic, modern, sleek, or cozy looking hearth, we can make your design come to life. In fact, because of the drastic change that a hearth refacing causes, sometimes masons will work in conjunction with a home designer because people will choose to redesign their living space in conjunction with their hearth refacing.

Add beauty to your home while keeping safe with a hearth refacing by Northeastern Masonry and Chimney. Our masons have been trained, tested, and certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), meaning that you can be sure that the work done in your home is done correctly and safely. If you’re ready to bring a new look to your home, call Northeastern Masonry & Chimney at 518-767-9314, or schedule an appointment online today to have one of our masons can come over and help walk you through the process of redesigning your hearth today.