We design and build brick fireplaces in Fort Worth, TX that become the centerpiece of your living room or outdoor patio. From classic surrounds to full height brick chimney faces, our masons focus on safe firebox clearances, proper venting, and clean detailing. Enjoy a warm, inviting brick hearth tailored to your home.
Superior Masonry Fort Worth provides professional brick fireplace throughout Fort Worth, TX, Texas and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call (682) 267-3270 or request your free quote.
Custom Brick Fireplaces Built for Fort Worth Homes
A brick fireplace is more than a place to burn wood. Done right, it becomes a permanent part of your home that affects comfort, resale value, and even how your furniture has to be arranged. At Superior Masonry Fort Worth, we focus on building and restoring brick fireplaces that fit how you actually live, whether that is a wood-burning feature in a Riverside home or a gas-fired accent wall in a new build in Benbrook.
We start with how you use the room. Do you want a primary heat source on cold North Texas nights, or is this mostly a focal point you turn on for a few hours? That answer affects firebox size, chimney design, and whether we recommend a full masonry firebox, a metal insert with brick surround, or a gas unit. We also look at the existing structure. Brick fireplaces are heavy, so in older Fort Worth homes we often inspect the slab or pier and beam framing directly under the planned fireplace location before we commit to a layout.
Design-wise, we talk in real materials, not vague styles. That means specific brick colors from regional yards, mortar color samples, joint profiles (struck, raked, flush, or grapevine), and layout patterns like running bond, herringbone in the firebox back, or soldier courses for mantel lines. Fort Worth homes range from 1950s ranch to modern townhomes, so we help you pick a design that looks like it has always belonged where it is going, instead of something trendy that will feel dated in a few years.
How We Build or Rebuild a Brick Fireplace Step by Step
A safe and durable brick fireplace follows a sequence that cannot be skipped or rushed. Superior Masonry Fort Worth uses a straightforward process so you always know what is happening.
First is structural evaluation and layout. For new fireplaces, we confirm the slab thickness and reinforcement in that section of the house, and if needed we pour a dedicated footing or thickened slab before laying a single brick. For remodels, especially where a prefab unit and drywall are being replaced, we open walls carefully, verify framing clearances to combustibles, and confirm where the flue can safely exit the roof under Fort Worth building codes.
Next is the firebox and throat. In a true masonry fireplace, the inner firebox is built with firebrick and high temperature refractory mortar. We set the firebrick in a staggered pattern for strength and build any herringbone detail if you want that look. Above the firebox, we form the throat and smoke chamber, shaping it smoothly to help smoke move up the flue instead of rolling into the room when you open the damper.
Then we build the chimney or vent. For full masonry chimneys, we lay brick around a lined flue, keeping proper clearances from framing and roof materials, and we install a concrete or stone cap with drip edges. For gas units or inserts, we often route metal venting inside a framed chase, then brick the outside of that chase so it still looks like a traditional chimney stack.
Last comes the visible surround and hearth. This is where detailing matters. We install the raised or flush hearth, set any hearthstone or brick border, then build the surround to the final dimensions you want. If you are adding a wood mantel or built-in cabinets, we coordinate the brick heights and clearances so your trim carpenter is not forced to cut around exposed edges or awkward joints. We finish by cleaning the brick properly, not by acid-washing everything aggressively, which can burn lighter bricks or smear mortar residue.
Brick Choices, Layout Options, and Cost Factors
Material choices affect both the look and the price of your brick fireplace. In Fort Worth, we typically source brick from local yards that carry North Texas blends, which means we can usually get good color matches for existing brick on your house or choose a contrasting interior look if you want the fireplace to stand out.
Common options include solid modular brick for a classic fireplace face, oversized king brick that reduces joint lines, and tumbled brick that gives a worn, rustic surface. On the hearth, some homeowners prefer a smoother brick or a stone slab to make ash cleanup easier. Mortar color is another big visual driver. Standard gray is most common, but buff or white mortar will brighten a dark living room. Joint tooling also changes the look, for example a flush joint looks clean and modern, while a raked joint adds shadow lines that read more traditional.
Cost is driven mainly by the type of unit (full masonry fireplace and chimney versus brick veneer around a factory unit), structural work needed, height and complexity of the chimney, and detailing on the face. A full masonry fireplace with an exterior brick chimney stack that runs up two stories will cost quite a bit more than a simple interior brick surround built around a gas insert with direct venting through an outside wall.
In Fort Worth, roof height and access also matter. Working on a steep roof in older neighborhoods like Fairmount often requires staging or scaffolding, which adds labor. Seasonal timing can influence price too. The rush to get fireplaces done before Thanksgiving and Christmas usually books us up early, so if you want the most scheduling flexibility, planning in late winter or early spring is often smarter.
Common Brick Fireplace Problems in Fort Worth and How We Fix Them
Many calls to Superior Masonry Fort Worth are not for new fireplaces, but to fix ones that were built poorly or have aged in our hot, stormy climate. Understanding the common issues helps you spot problems before they become unsafe.
One of the most frequent complaints is smoke coming into the room. This can be caused by a throat or smoke chamber that was never shaped correctly, a flue that is too small for the opening size, or a chimney that terminates too low relative to nearby rooflines. We diagnose this by measuring the opening, checking the flue size and height, and looking inside the smoke chamber. Solutions can include reshaping and parging the smoke chamber, installing a smoke guard to reduce the opening height, or in some cases adding a new flue liner and extending the chimney to the correct height.
Brick and mortar deterioration is another concern, especially on exterior chimneys exposed to summer sun on the south or west side of Fort Worth homes. Cracks in the crown, open mortar joints, and spalling brick faces let water in. When we repair this, we grind out failed joints, repoint with compatible mortar (not overly hard mixes that can damage softer brick), and rebuild damaged crowns with proper drip edges and a cap or cover. Inside, we often see heat damage in the firebox from years of hot fires without firebrick in place. There, we remove loose firebrick, reset new ones with refractory mortar, and correct any gaps around the damper.
We also see a lot of cosmetic mistakes from rushed remodels. Examples include veneers installed directly over drywall around a metal box, joints that do not line up with existing brick in the room, or mantels set too close to the fire opening for code. When we correct these, we strip back to suitable backing, install the right non-combustible materials, tie new brick into existing masonry cleanly, and adjust clearances so you can pass inspection and use the fireplace confidently.
What Fort Worth Homeowners Should Know Before Hiring for a Brick Fireplace
Before you hire anyone to build or redo a brick fireplace, there are a few items you should check so you do not end up paying twice. First, make sure the contractor understands both masonry and the mechanical side of fireplaces. There is a big difference between someone who can lay a brick wall and someone who knows firebox dimensions, venting requirements, and Fort Worth code rules for chimney height, spark arrestors, and clearances to combustibles.
Ask to see examples of completed fireplaces in homes similar to yours, not just pictures of outdoor grill islands or mailboxes. At Superior Masonry Fort Worth, we can point you to projects in Tarrant County neighborhoods where you can see how our brick joints look up close and how the chimney lines up with the roof. Also ask what type of mortar and firebrick they will use in the firebox, how they will flash the chimney at the roof, and whether they plan to install a cap to keep out rain and animals. Clear answers to those questions tell you a lot about their experience.
Permits and inspections matter as well. In the City of Fort Worth, new fireplaces and significant alterations generally require permits and may involve both building and mechanical inspections. We handle the permit process for our projects and coordinate with inspectors so you are not left figuring out city paperwork on your own.
Scheduling is another practical point. Brick work needs time to cure, and masonry work on roofs or exteriors can be affected by summer heat and sudden storms. For major chimney work, we try to avoid the hottest part of late July and August afternoons, since rapid drying in 100 degree sun can cause mortar to weaken or crack. Planning ahead and being flexible with start times lets us give you better quality.
Finally, get a written scope of work that spells out what is included. That should cover demolition, structural work, brick and mortar selections, type of fireplace or insert, chimney details, cleanup, and whether painting or sealing is included. With that level of detail, you can compare bids fairly and know exactly what your new brick fireplace investment will deliver.
