Fireplace advice! Help!

Kerrel

I have just bought a new house with 2 marble fireplaces, I’m happy with the marble surrounds, but the tiles inside and hearths are horrible. I prefer a full cast iron insert, but didn’t really want to remove the fireplaces from the wall as they’ve been there since 1880- what can I do?!

Doozergirl

Are you going to use the fireplaces?

Are the hearths placed on or tiled into the floor?

Photos for us to see? Sometimes things aren't quite as original as you think.

The surround can be easily removed and put back after any work.

Existing hearths could be put in the cellar/loft for future owners to find.

Tiles can be painted and it isn't entirely irreversible, so there's that option.

If you're not using the fireplaces then you could build the chimney breast out a bit further using batons and boarding to a point where a cast insert would sit in front of the existing gubbins. Will cost quite a bit but it might make you feel that you were being kinder to the building. I'm not sure I'd go as far as that.

The thing I'm likely to do would be to take a straw poll of several people and see if it's genuinely disgusting. If it is, let it go but make sure you replace it with something sympathetic and tasteful.

FreeBear

Doozergirl wrote: »

Tiles can be painted and it isn't entirely irreversible, so there's that option.

I've seen slate fire surrounds that had originally been "marbled" - Such a thing was quite popular during the Victorian period. Painting over such a finish in not (generally) reversible as any stripping would take off the original finish.