Expert: James Ball - 4/2/2009

Question
I have a cabin in Maine with a large central chimney and fireplace.  There are no
apparent leaks, but there are some worn cracked bricks in the back of the fire
place.  Is there a way to repair this with tile over the old brick? Also, there is a
large stone as the floor of the fireplace which has settled about a half inch on
one side and an inch on the other.  Is there a way to level this without removing
the stone?

Answer
Greg, damaged stone and brick must be removed and replaces, how hard that is would be had to say with out seeing it. I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have they should be able to help.
James