Try not to damage the brickwork underneath as you do this and leave straight edges around the area you have cleared away so that final plastering is made easier. If you have a small fireplace that no longer houses a fire or has been blocked up and plastered over, why not use it as an alcove for shelving to fill an unwelcome gap? Revealing the Fireplace Both can be installed just above the fireplace opening so you can't see them, but can get them out easily if required. How do you know that there is definitely a builder’s opening (fireplace) somewhere? It had an open flame gas fire in it previously (with a nasty brick fireplace!). First, start by protecting and sealing your work area so dust and debris don’t get all over your home. Each brick in the second and subsequent rows needs to be centred on the vertical mortar joint in the row below, so again, brick can be cut before you start to achieve this. The technique you use will depend on how the surround is constructed. Once you are sure that all the lugs are free, slowly lower the surround to the ground in front of the fire. Discover 10 kitchens that break the mould Alternatively, you could remove the chimney pot, cover the opening with slate and then seal it with mortar flaunching. Use a lime mortar specially formulated for fireplaces; you can buy this in small bags from fireplace suppliers. For this you can use bricks, lightweight building blocks or more lightweight materials such as hardboard, chipboard or asbestos. Lay the brick on the floor of the fireplace, flush with the front of the fireplace. Blocking up a fireplace can add extra space to a room and even improve the heat efficiency of your home. You don’t. Fit the airbrick in the middle of about the third row of new brickwork – the exact position is not important; it need to be fairly low but must not be at the extreme bottom and needs to clear any skirting board being used. The fire pit uses gel fireplace fuel cans to achieve those bright yet gentle flames. DIY Adirondack Style Fire Pit. How to permanently block a chimney. Build up successive courses until you fill the cavity. I'm bricking up an unused fireplace in a house about 30 years old. Where the surround is screwed to the wall or chimney breast you also need a large screwdriver, plus a hacksaw to cut through any fixings which cannot easily be shifted. A few years a go I saw something about device that you blow up to block your chimney. Hot air goes up, up and away. Anyone know if you can just block it off completely or do you need to leave some ventilation for any reason? However, they can weigh a considerable amount, with some weighing up to 300kg. Before plastering make sure that the surface is prepared properly and that old and flaking plaster is stabilized. Common bricks can be used for closing the fireplace, there’s no need to use the more expensive ‘facing’ bricks. © Copyright 2006-2021 practicalDIY.com - All rights reserved. There is no need to remove the fireback from the fireplace, although if a back boiler is fitted, this should be removed once the plumbing has been isolated and disconnected. Take care when plastering to avoid covering the holes in the airbrick. Check whether the timber is held in place by any other fixings—either metal studs or bars. In order to bed the blocking material into place and allow a neat plastered finish, you need to cut away … The only barrier to opening up an old fireplace is the cost involved. The airbrick needs to project forward of the rest of the brickwork so that its front face (with the holes in) is flush with the original plaster on each side – use a straightedge across the front to achieve this. With your helper still steadying the far end of the surround, use your left hand to steady the other end and hold the crowbar in your right hand. The simplest way of avoiding this is to fit a rain bonnet, a blocking piece which is cemented into the chimney pot. If you decide to retain the present surround, first break out the fireback and then cut away the plaster around the opening to a distance of about 200mm on each side. These should be adequate for prising the various parts free of their fixings without the need for excessive force, but you will need safety glasses or goggles if you have to hack away mortar with the bolster since loose material is bound to fly. But, if you’re tempted to see what’s behind a blocked up chimney, what do you need to know about Building Regs, costs and how to do it safely to make sure you don’t end up with a whole lot of mess? 0 Reviews Normally wall blocks is the cheapest depending on the sit could start from £250 to £550 11th May 2020. Bricks and lightweight building blocks are both perfectly adequate where you want to block up an opening permanently. By levering with the crowbar and using your hands to pull the surround away from the wall you should be able to open a gap between the surround and the wall big enough to look down. Removing a brick fireplace can be a long and difficult job, but you can do it with a bit of experience and the right tools. What you do next depends on whether you block up the opening with bricks or some type of sheeting. Dec 17, 2014 - Explore Tamara Verushka's board "Fireplace draft stopper" on Pinterest. Sometimes they will simply unscrew from the wall; if not, cut them off at or near their junction with the wall using a bolster or hacksaw. If you want to permanently block a chimney, the extreme solution would be to brick up the front of the fireplace or chimney breach, tear down the chimney top and reroof over that. If the fixings refuse to pull clear, insert a hacksaw between the facing and the wall and cut through the studs or bars. The final job is to fit the ventilation cowl to the chimney pot - this is probably the worst part of the job especially if you don’t like heights. Choosing to block a fireplace. Oct 8, 2013 - Explore TimesUnion Magazines's board "Can't use your fireplace? Try to plaster the area neatly by feathering off around the edges. An open fireplace is an attractive feature in many homes around the UK, with around 60% of our housing stock built earlier than 1960. Here are 16 stylish ways to decorate a non-functioning fireplace. If the fireplace is near flat surfaces such as window ledges or built-in furniture, cover these with newspapers and masking tape. Is this correct? A number of heavy-duty polythene bags are useful for disposing of the loose rubble and soot created during demolition and clearance of the site. 1 Answers. Then build up each course of bricks. juvenal . After an old fire surround and hearth has been removed, the hole in the chimney breast can be bricked in to tidy up the wall. Whatever you do, work safe and don’t take chances. My gas fire has been removed and has left a big hole in the wall. Once all the equipment has been assembled, clear the room ready for the work. 6. A new section of skirting board will be required to finish off the wall after the plaster has gone off. Draught-free homes are comfortable at lower temperatures – so you may be able to turn down your thermostat, saving even more on your energy bills. Install, taking up just 30mm of space 1:4 mortar and lay a bed of it on the to! For loose mortar: strengthen any crumbling joints then chip away the plaster has off... Suit the how to block up a fireplace uk and work your way down level … what ’ s no need break. To follow is flush with the heat efficiency of your home, you need to your. 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