Fire place fiting - is this right?

longbaygirl

Looks like previous owners put in smaller fireplaces than the originals.

There is a big gap between the back of the iron fireplace and the brick chimney area for the fireplace. Is this safe - can we light a fire?

There is no hearth - can we just lay a very large slab of marble or similar, in front of the fire to catch sparks or do we need some 'professional' charging us a fortune to glue it down - or similar?

keith969

You should have concrete or similar forming the constructional hearth about 6 inches thick, extending out 12 to 18 inches in front of the fire, and should be able to put your slab of whatever on this - bed it down mortar.

Normally the gap between the back of the fireplace and the brickwork should be filled in. If there is a gap, then soot falling down the chimney will fill this area, and could catch fire - not such a good idea.

Doozergirl

It would be completely normal to have a gap behind the iron of the fireplace. They weren't made to fit the gap prefectly.

If you have that whole area open then I'd expect to be cold if I wasn't burning a fire! There would be an almighty amount of cold air coming down that chimney, even my regular one you can feel it when you sit next to it. I'm not sure you'd get enough of a pull on it to get a decent fire going without smoke spilling into the room either. I think there is a reason why people don't tend to do this anymore. You will need the chminey swept and the chimney tested to see if it draws properly before you start.

The hearth needs to be in pieces as well as the heat can cause expansion and possible cracking.

suisidevw

What's been said above is correct. If I were you I'd backfill behind the fireplace so soot doesn't come down, rest and cause a chimney fire. Check out the 'first time renovation' thread for my 'build' on my fireplace which includes a lot of this!

6 inches thick for the hearth is excessive 3 would be fine and as said make sure it's in pieces to allow for expansion with the heat!

keith969

suisidevw wrote: »

6 inches thick for the hearth is excessive 3 would be fine and as said make sure it's in pieces to allow for expansion with the heat!

Sorry if I wasn't clear, the 6 inch thick bit is the 'constructional hearth' not your slab of granite or slate, which has to be 12mm or more thick. This is as required by building regs - but should be there from when the fireplace was originally built.

longbaygirl

Now that would explain why those rooms are always blooming cold and drafty.

Will investigate back fill.

Shame about the hearth - I wanted one sibgle piece - dont think two bits will look so good.

So hearth can't be laid on top of the wooden flooring - which has been laid right up to the fire - I do have to rip this up and lay hearth on the concrete below.

Many thanks