How To Remove An Old Fireplace

Removing an old fire surround

When it comes to renovating an old belongings, one of the starting time things which may need to be considered is whether to proceed sometime open up fireplaces – with modernistic central heating systems, an open fireplace tin just be an escape road for heated air.

Before you lot showtime to remove the fire environs or hearth it'south worth asking yourself if they have a resale value – cast atomic number 26 and sometime timber surrounds can accept a value which makes their careful removal worthwhile - brick and tile surrounds dating from the 1940'due south don't commonly take a resale value. If in doubtfulness, ask an good – once you've damaged or broken up the environs, it volition have trivial or no value.

Removing an old fireplace involves three master steps - removing the surround (which may be ane of several types), removing a raised hearth if there is i, and sealing up the fireplace opening (unless a new hearth/fire surround is going to be fitted).

Below we comprehend removing:

A cast fe burn down surround.
A tiled fire surroundings.
A timber fire surround.
A brick or stone fire surroundings.
A hearth, which may accept been fitted with any of the in a higher place.

Once a fire environment has been removed, the opening can be bricked up, or boarded up over a timber frame congenital across the front of the opening. Before the opening is closed upwardly, the chimney should be swept and the meridian of the chimney capped past a builder.

A cast-atomic number 26 fire surround

A bandage-fe fire environs is usually fixed to the wall past screws through metal lugs near the top on each side, oft there are also lugs towards the lesser; these will be hidden past the wall plaster. After removing whatsoever wall covering, carefully chip away the plaster all around the surroundings to betrayal the fixings and besides requite clearance when the environment is removed.
Cast-iron fire surrounds are often top heavy then before starting to remove the fixings, wedge a length of timber betwixt the top of the surround and the floor to prevent it fall when the fixings are released.
Articulate the slots in the fixing screws of plaster and if possible remove them. If the fixings cannot exist removed, try to advisedly prise the lugs abroad from the wall, exist very careful when attempting this equally bandage-iron is very brittle and tin can easily break – such damage will lower the value of the surround if yous intend to sell it.
The grate (the centre piece going back into the fireplace) may be fixed to the surround with screws or bolts, but there is no need to separate them every bit the surround and grate will come out together.
Once the fixings accept been removed, take the weight of the environs, remove the piece of forest supporting the surround and pulling the surround forrad, lower on to the floor.

If you want to separate the grate from the fire surround, the fixing screws/bolts will probably exist seized solid and will probably need to be soaked penetrating oil before they can be loosened, this may take several applications of oil over a 24 hours menses.

If the screws/bolts tin nevertheless not exist loosened, they may be removed past either using a nut splitter (which can be hired) or drilled out using a high-speed-steel twist of less than the diameter of the screw shank.

A tiled file surround

A tiled burn down environs ordinarily has a concrete backing to which the tiles are fixed and is screwed to the chimney breast through metal lugs, in the aforementioned manner every bit a cast-fe surround. The concrete ways that the environs volition be very heavy, and it is all-time to have someone else available to hold it steady and help move it away.

Where a raised tile hearth is fitted, this will either be resting against the front of the environment, or the surround may rest on the dorsum of hearth. If the hearth rests against the front of the environs, information technology needs to be removed first (see beneath).

A tiled fire environs is normally stock-still to the wall by screws through metallic lugs near the elevation on each side, often at that place are besides lugs towards the bottom; these will be hidden by the wall plaster. After removing whatever wall covering, carefully chip away the plaster all effectually the surround to expose the fixings and too give clearance when the surround is removed.
Clear the slots in the fixing screws of plaster and if possible remove them. If the fixings cannot be removed, attempt to prise the lugs away from the wall.
As the fixings are removed, get someone to steady the surround to prevent if falling.
Once the fixings have been removed, lower the surround with the aid of your helper. If possible, motility the surround outside for breaking upwardly.
To suspension up the surround, lay information technology face down on a business firm base of operations and cover it with sacking, or an onetime drapery. Wearing protective gloves and rubber spectacles, use a sledgehammer to intermission it up into smaller pieces – in that location may be some metal strengthening within the concrete which you would need to release by breaking the physical to release them.

A timber burn surround

Modern timber fire surrounds are oftentimes secured to the chimney breast using lugs on the side hidden behind the plaster. Old timber burn surrounds were often screwed to wooden battens fixed to the chimney breast.

At that place may be a tiled inner environment which has to be removed separately or a not-inflammable inner surround fastened between the sides of the outer surroundings.

Look over the surface of the timber to locate the screw heads, they may be covered with filler or possible subconscious behind a decorative moulding. If the position of the screws is non obvious, assume that side lugs are used and chip away the plaster down ane side of the surround; if this reveals a lug, carry on chipping away the plaster from effectually the surround and remove the surround as outlined for cast-iron fire surrounds above.
If no lugs are revealed, it suggests that the surround is secured to battens on the wall. If the surround has been painted or varnished, this will probably need to stripped off earlier you accept a chance to locate the spiral positions.
Carefully remove the filler and clean the screw slots, and undo the screws.
Lift the surround away and remove the battens from the wall.
Remove any inner tiled surroundings, it is unremarkably fairly light and can be moved by ane person.

A brick or stone burn surround

Commencement by checking that the fire environs is made from real brick or stone and non but thin brick or rock facings attached to a concrete bankroll. If it is simply brick or stone facing, removal in the same as for a tiled surround higher up.

A real brick or stone fire environs needs to be removed brick by brick (or stone by rock).

Wearing protective gloves and safety glasses, use a hammer and cold chisel to chip abroad the mortar to loosen each brick/stone starting at the end of the summit course, work your way forth and down.

There may be metal ties or nails in the mortar joints and fastened to the chimney breast. To remove these, chip away the wall to gratuitous them.

Removing a tiled, brick or stone hearth

A hearth may consist of a tiled slab of concrete or a number of rock or bricks. The raised hearth is bonded using mortar to a concrete slab (known as the constructional hearth) flush with the floor and projecting into the room.

Oft the mortar used under a tiled concrete hearth will exist fairly weak as the weight of information technology alone will concord it in identify. Employ a hammer and cold chisel to make a pigsty in the mortar so that a crowbar can be inserted to lift the hearth – once the mortar bond is broken, it will need a couple of people to carry it outside where it tin can be broken upwardly in the same fashion equally a tiled fire surround.

Where individual tiles, bricks or stone are bonded directly to the constructional hearth, wear protective gloves and goggles and apply a hammer and cold chisel to bit away the mortar to loosen each individual tile, brick or stone; or chip away sufficient mortar and so that they can be private prised off.

The constructional hearth should be left in place and self-leveling compound used if necessary to smooth the top before any floor covering is laid.