Removing fireplace surround + tiling

modelreject

My first piece of major DIY.

I am in the process of removing our fireplace surround and retiling the hearth. Just need some advice.

Ideally I would have had the hearth level with the floor but after reading about requirements for stoves, which we may install at a later date, we may have to keep it at this level.

View of hearth from above
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s25/sh/16fd05c4-a38e-4e4c-b573-93aa1b1a5962/88d246b92e1703d92b10f5a5b530d16d

How can I get the best finish with what I have to work with. The laminate is old so getting matching transitional moulding will be difficult. I am going to tile the hearth. I could extend the hearth as seen in the image below so the tiles lie over the laminate but the hearth depth from the wall will just be too much.

View of gap around hearth
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s25/sh/150c2b84-0cc3-4e02-9bdc-a6259ba3219b/37aef29ada50ac5e61dcc0b3ab299dac/res/c29858c8-5637-4e1c-9133-057f2b704f86/skitch.png

I want to widen the opening because in the near future we may install a stove. It looks like there is a short lintel. Do I need to put a new longer one in?

View of front
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s25/sh/150c2b84-0cc3-4e02-9bdc-a6259ba3219b/37aef29ada50ac5e61dcc0b3ab299dac

Many thanks,
C

rustyboy21

Before you do anything, can you tell us what you have on the roof of your house?

Do you have a proper chimney stack and pots, or do you have a raised roof tile or metal flue terminal coming out of your slates?

Looking at the 1st pic, which is the only one that works, if you haven't bricked in the chamber, it looks suspiciously like a precast flue,which means that you won't be able to have a stove fitted, as it won't work on the flue you have.

If you can let us know, we may be able to help more.

modelreject

Thanks rustyboy21. I will try uploading the other pics again.

Updated image of gap...https://www.evernote.com/shard/s25/s...dcc0b3ab299dac

I don;t know very much about this subject. What is a precast flue? As far as I can see it is just brick all the way up.

We have proper chimney stack. We are in semi detached so the neighbours also runs up the inside of their house.

There a re 4 chimney pots as there used to be 2 reception rooms each with a bedroom above. So that is 4 fires, 1 in each of teh four rooms. The back chimney breast has been removed.

Basically the chimney breast in the picture runs upstairs through our bedroom (which has a fireplace) and up to the stack on the roof.

Hope this helps. I did see a diagram of how how our chimney is constructed. I'll see if I can find it. It is quite similar to this, http://inspectapedia.com/chimneys/0992s.jpg only I think there would be another small bend near the top when it reaches the stack outside.

rustyboy21

Pic doesn't work as you have to sign up, but no bother.

You have answered my question. You have a chimney breast in your room, this goes into the bedroom, and you have a brick built stack and chimney pots on the roof. That is great, you have a class one flue, if anyone asks !.

You are ok with a stove, some houses with different types of flue, like precast or pre fabricated, normally cannot have stoves fitted .

You will need to knock out the breeze blocks which you have painted in your pic and that will open up your chamber. Most likely you will need a new lintel fitted across the wider opening. This is no trouble to a builder to do, or an experienced DIYer. I wouldn't try to tile before you do all the knocking out and prep work and it would look better if you tile into the whole chamber when you have knocked the bricks out. It will give a better look and a firm ground for the stove to sit on.

With regards to the laminate and finding something to finish off the hearth edge, have you not thought of something like this?

http://www.fireplace-tiles.com/tileparts/victorian-kerb-straight-edge-tile
To be honest with you, you may be better off knocking the cement you have now away and buying a pre slabbed tiled hearth , with a 'Tongue' which will fit into the chamber ( it will look like a very fat 'T' shape) You will get a better finish and the tiles will not lift or crack on you as there is no air pockets behind the tiles.

Try and do all the knock out and tiled hearth first, you can shove an old pillow up the flue, until you buy your stove, to stop the draught coming down your chimney.

It is fairly straightforward job, but is messy and sooty, if the flue hasn't been swept in years, even if it was gas before.

modelreject

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm pretty confident that I could do all the ground work myself and then get a pro in to install the actual stove. I wil measure out the required dimensions for the stove and put a lintel in accordingly.

This should be a picture of the lintel...https://www.evernote.com/shard/s25/sh/486bcb6d-c59c-4cff-b992-2f99810b59dc/5426ce41f70decd1d76125da6573beb2