DIY Question - Fireplaces

[Errol's son]

I'd love someone to have it but practically a) how the fuck do we get it off the wall and b) if we did how would we move it!

a) Hack around the edges with a hammer and bolster till you find the fixings and then undo them, the same with the hearth - all you need is a hammer and bolster till you find how it is affixed then probably just a screwdriver and maybe a crowbar.

b) If you don't care about the fireplace you could smash it up in situ with a sledgehammer and take it to the tip. Or with a friend you may be able to manouevre it outside and smash it up there. If you smash it up at your house I would recommend getting some rubble sacks from a builder's merchants - heavy duty polythene bags - to put the bits in so it is easy to load and unload from a car - you can always save the sacks. I would also strongly recommend getting a dust sheet or two.

It is easy work, but messy. Also if DIY is not your thing you may find it physically exhausting. Your plasterer friend might not charge much extra to do the work.

 

[muckypup]

then you come and have it

its not that good if it was in my place id already have had sledge hammered it

 

[aqua]

its not that good if it was in my place id already have had sledge hammered it

see this is how everyone feels about it

I would agree normally that period things really shouldn't be removed, but this isnt victorian and the house is but importantly, it's just a bit rank

 

[aqua]

a) Hack around the edges with a hammer and bolster till you find the fixings and then undo them, the same with the hearth - all you need is a hammer and bolster till you find how it is affixed then probably just a screwdriver and maybe a crowbar.

b) If you don't care about the fireplace you could smash it up in situ with a sledgehammer and take it to the tip. Or with a friend you may be able to manouevre it outside and smash it up there. If you smash it up at your house I would recommend getting some rubble sacks from a builder's merchants - heavy duty polythene bags - to put the bits in so it is easy to load and unload from a car - you can always save the sacks. I would also strongly recommend getting a dust sheet or two.

It is easy work, but messy. Also if DIY is not your thing you may find it physically exhausting. Your plasterer friend might not charge much extra to do the work.

hey I'm not physically doing anything, that's bee's job

so you think it's screwed onto the wall and not stuck on with industrial grade sticky stuff?

 

[Errol's son]

The majority in Britain are screwed but sometimes it is welded with rebar into a T or double T and rendered over.

 

[aqua]

its welded with what into a what?

it was put in in the 1940's and hasn't moved since - it's going to be firmly stuck isn't it

 

[Errol's son]

its welded with what into a what?

it was put in in the 1940's and hasn't moved since - it's going to be firmly stuck isn't it

In layman's terms, instead of using screws, some builders weld rebar - steel reinforcement normally used in concrete - to the frame and stick this in the wall and plaster/concrete over it. Rebar is cylindrical and so to give it some bite within the wall they weld a cross piece (a T) or two (a double T) to ensure the fireplace (in this instance) is held firmly in place.

Until the Chinese started making and exporting shite screws this was a cheaper fixation method assuming the builder had a welder.

 

[aqua]

well that sounds hard enough to remove so that'll be what we have then

 

[martyo]

You must hire an angle-grinder and use this to cut it into segments.

Then you must remove these one by one, carefully, making sure that you do not cause any other part of the wall to be damaged.

Finally the chimney flue must be properly sealed by a qualified workman.

 

[Errol's son]

An angle grinder is unnecessary but it is a nice tool to have on a job such as this.

It sounds like the OP has someone in mind to do the work so it is up to that him/her how he/she does it and with what tools...

If it is was my DIY job and I had no grinder I would just do it with a hammer and bolster personally as with a grinder you really do need a mask as well... if you don't have a grinder you are looking at buying a grinder (£30 min), a mask (£10 for a decent one) as well as probably a hammer and bolster anyway and maybe a crowbar and/or a suitable screwdriver.

You should probably wear a mask doing it manually with a bolster but as it is a DIY job I'd just take my time and let the dust settle and have a few tea breaks!

 

[ViolentPanda]

An angle grinder is unnecessary but it is a nice tool to have on a job such as this.

It sounds like the OP has someone in mind to do the work so it is up to that him/her how he/she does it and with what tools...

If it is was my DIY job and I had no grinder I would just do it with a hammer and bolster personally as with a grinder you really do need a mask as well... if you don't have a grinder you are looking at buying a grinder (£30 min), a mask (£10 for a decent one) as well as probably a hammer and bolster anyway and maybe a crowbar and/or a suitable screwdriver.

You should probably wear a mask doing it manually with a bolster but as it is a DIY job I'd just take my time and let the dust settle and have a few tea breaks!

And ffs wear steel-toecapped footwear too.

 

[aqua]

And ffs wear steel-toecapped footwear too.

this hadn't occured to me at all

 

[aqua]

right well after chiselling out some plaster, I've found that:

a) the tiles go into the plaster by about 1/2"

b) that 1" into the plaster I've still not found brick

and

c) I can't find any metal things holding it to the wall cos it has the top corner like it has, I searched from the top of the outer edge down about 6" and can't find anything

fucking fireplace

 

[handyman121]

Afternoon everyone

from some random internet hunting I've found out we need a cowl on the chimney (no idea if we have one already, fire that was in the fireplace was condemed when we moved in and it didn't look used for years before that - how would we know if we had a cowl?) - I also know we need an airvent to protect the chimney contents from getting damp etc

QUOTE]

If you want to know if you have a cowl on the chimney just go outside and have a look. It will be on top of the chimney.

 

[WouldBe]

right well after chiselling out some plaster, I've found that:

a) the tiles go into the plaster by about 1/2"

b) that 1" into the plaster I've still not found brick

and

c) I can't find any metal things holding it to the wall cos it has the top corner like it has, I searched from the top of the outer edge down about 6" and can't find anything

fucking fireplace

If you've not found brick yet you won't find the brackets as they used to be screwed straight into the brick.

The brackets may be between 6" and 12" down from the top. They won't be right on the corner.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

aqua posting

Will keep digging then

 

[WouldBe]

There may be a second bracket near the bottom of the fireplace as well.

 

[Errol's son]

Don't be scared of hacking all the plaster off round the fireplace's perimeter... just get stuck in... it makes next to no difference in the cost of making good. Don't pansy around... get stuck in!

 

[aqua]

bees isn't happy about me doing this so i'll have to do a bit a day and hope he doesn't notice

 

[moose]

(((aqua's house)))

 

[aqua]

don't be horrid I take care!

 

[moose]

I know if I took either of ours down, the whole street would collapse

 

[WouldBe]

don't be horrid I take care!

If you see daylight stop digging.

 

[aqua]

I know if I took either of ours down, the whole street would collapse

lol it's how thick the plaster is on the wall thats a bit HOW much plaster?

If you see daylight stop digging.

I'll remember that

 

[moose]

lol it's how thick the plaster is on the wall thats a bit HOW much plaster?

They probably had to slap a load on to cover where they took the original fireplace out to put that one in.

 

[aqua]

I guess, the room has def been skimmed by our landlord though, and he and DIY should NEVER have been allowed near each other one corner of the chimney breast is modern sharp edge, the other side uses the original victorian wood which means its a rounded corner I mean, why would you do that

 

[moose]

It's a feature dammit!

 

[aqua]

no its the landlord being a prat again

makes me wonder how much of the original brick work is left on the sharp edged side

 

[WouldBe]

They probably had to slap a load on to cover where they took the original fireplace out to put that one in.

Maybe they couldn't find the brackets so plastered the wall flush with the old fireplace and put the new one in over the top.

 

[aqua]