Hello,
We had a new gas fire and black granite hearth fitted in November 2021. The hearth was fitted as two pieces - one piece at the back on which the gas fire is sitting and a second piece in front.
In January 2023 we noticed two chunks had flaked off the front piece of the hearth, on the left side at the joint between the two pieces of granite. We contacted the fitter and he said he had never seen this before. He said it could be a damp issue but said that would usually cause the hearth to crack instead of causing just shallow pieces to flake off. He replaced it with a new front piece in May last year.
Then at Christmas last year we noticed the same thing had happened again at the same place (on the left side, at the joint between the two pieces of granite). The left side of the hearth has also dropped 2/3mm so it now isn't level with the piece of granite at the back. We're fairly sure the chunk flaked off after we had had the fire on one night. The right side hasn't dropped and has never flaked (either with the first or this replacement piece).
We contacted the fitter again and he said he has no idea why this is happening, he has never seen it before despite fitting hundreds of these hearths a year, said it could be a damp problem but the problem isn't with the granite, that the granite wouldn't flake if it was rubbing together etc. When we said the hearth had dropped on the one side, he said it must be a damp problem as the hearth "doesn't just move". It doesn't seem like he is coming back to look at this for us, so now we're stuck with a hearth with pieces flaking off it. Both times it has been on the left side. The right side hasn't dropped and doesn't have this flaking problem.
Has anybody seen this before/does anybody have any ideas? If it is a damp problem then I'm not sure what we're supposed to do about it.
I've attached a few pictures so you can see exactly what I'm talking about.
Many thanks!
We had a new gas fire and black granite hearth fitted in November 2021. The hearth was fitted as two pieces - one piece at the back on which the gas fire is sitting and a second piece in front.
In January 2023 we noticed two chunks had flaked off the front piece of the hearth, on the left side at the joint between the two pieces of granite. We contacted the fitter and he said he had never seen this before. He said it could be a damp issue but said that would usually cause the hearth to crack instead of causing just shallow pieces to flake off. He replaced it with a new front piece in May last year.
Then at Christmas last year we noticed the same thing had happened again at the same place (on the left side, at the joint between the two pieces of granite). The left side of the hearth has also dropped 2/3mm so it now isn't level with the piece of granite at the back. We're fairly sure the chunk flaked off after we had had the fire on one night. The right side hasn't dropped and has never flaked (either with the first or this replacement piece).
We contacted the fitter again and he said he has no idea why this is happening, he has never seen it before despite fitting hundreds of these hearths a year, said it could be a damp problem but the problem isn't with the granite, that the granite wouldn't flake if it was rubbing together etc. When we said the hearth had dropped on the one side, he said it must be a damp problem as the hearth "doesn't just move". It doesn't seem like he is coming back to look at this for us, so now we're stuck with a hearth with pieces flaking off it. Both times it has been on the left side. The right side hasn't dropped and doesn't have this flaking problem.
Has anybody seen this before/does anybody have any ideas? If it is a damp problem then I'm not sure what we're supposed to do about it.
I've attached a few pictures so you can see exactly what I'm talking about.
Many thanks!
