And removed the 18" deep, two brick tier hearth that surrounds my fireplace that is open on two sides (front and left side). My livingroom is so small, one contractor suggested I take it out for more floor space. Unfortunately, the brickwork of the hearth was perpendicular to the face of the fireplace brick and now the bottom is jagged and raggedy. Various impact hammers smoothed it a bit. The fireplace is painted, so just painting the porous halfbricks along the bottom won't do it. How do I disguise such an awful mistake!