I need to re-tile a hearth in my 1899 house. The hearth is on the first floor. I lifted the old tiles, and underneath, I find quite hard concrete. I need to remove about 1/4" of that concrete in order to be able to lay the new tiles flush with the surface of the floorboards. What is the easiest way to do this without shaking the house to bits? The house was built in 1899 using lime mortar. U guess the padstone under the hearth is probably on the top of a brick corbel, since there is nothing visibly sopporting it in the room below. Therefore, I dare not start attacking it with a jack-hammer. Even belting it with a lump-hammer and chisel might cause the brick corbelling underneath to fall apart!
Thanks for any suggestions.
Frank