Removing a 1950s fireplace & clay fireback.

[stuart45]

Years ago you had to lay the fireback on a bed of sand and carefully work your way along the scoreline with a sharp bolster. Nowadays a diamond blade goes through it easily.

 

[Dor1111]

(Removed)

I wasn't intentionally trolling. I genuinely couldn't understand how a three sided cast iron plate could be in two parts. To be honest, I couldn't see how the back plate could safely be anything other than one piece given the temperatures involved.

All good in the end.

 

[RrogerD]

Poster #27,
Why not start a new thread in this forum?
You will then get various opinions.

(Removed)

The lintel & the bricks that we can see are infill and can safely be removed but first hack off plaster above the centre of the lintel, go up a few courses & you should expose the original brick arch.
Only after exposing the brick arch can you remove the infill & lintel.
Leave the chimney breast outside corners intact - stay away from them.

How many fireplaces you have in the house? Then you have that many flues that might need sweeping.
Dont "wash" any of the flues or fireplace openings.
Definitely, It would be best to remove the fireback and the infill before sweeping.

Thank you for your reply.
Why do you say 'don't wash'? This is what the sweep person said that they were proposing to do? She said that because I was planning to block it off that it would continue to smell of soot if I didn't. The adjacent room also has a fireplace but without the brick inserts and fire-back. They don't appear to be a combined flue.