removing a old fireplace (not so old though old-ish)

[andykinsey]

hi all
later this week i'v got to remove a fireplace from my house, cool you might think, easy would say others, but wait theres more.

the fireplace is concrete with tiles around it, i tried to hit it with a sledgey (sledge hammer) yesterday with not much sucess, there was only a crack on the tile, the concrete isn't re-enforced because i took one out upstairs with relitive ease, i took the floor boards up and it came with and then i jus smashed the wall. downstairs the floors concrete aswel which makes life harder don't you think.

any assitance here would be of great help

andy.

 

[murraysnudge]

I've removed a few which have been reinforced. They usually have a metal 'ear' each side near the top which is screwed to the wall, then plastered over. Chisel the plaster away each side and have a look for them.

 

[andykinsey]

cheers it came out a treat, left a huge hole in the wall which iv delt with using plaster board and plaster but the floors bit triker.... help me here i'v no idea

 

[TexMex]

What does the floor look like at the moment. Are we to assume that you had concrete under the fireplace that you took out, and floorboards that run up to it?

 

[andykinsey]

thats right floor boards running up to it and now theres a gap about a foot deep that goes down to the soil benethe... its victorian house the and the foundations are well poo so i'v sorted this out with underpinning but i can't fix thios problem and to put new floor boards in would cost alot so any other ideas?

 

[TexMex]

So lets see if I can get this right. You're able to do underpinning, but can't figure out how to put a in a few 4x2 noggins to hold up a couple of sq ft of flooring, and all this while you're studdying for your GCSE's, do I sense a bit of a wind up merchant here ?

 

[murraysnudge]

Come on Tex, be fair; Andy is studying electronics not joinery. Perhaps his dad helped him with the underpinning?

 

[andykinsey]

thanks but your wrong it wasn't may dad it was my uncle, it took 2 years becuase it was only done of weekends and it took a hell of alot.

and i'll have you know that myself studying GCSE electronics yes means alot of my times took up by that but its not exactly rocket science is it now, so im sure a few hours here or there wont really make a diffrence will it now

im asking what i shoult do becasue to replace the floor boards i've took up will cost alot because they are oak ok it has to match 100 year old oak so unless you can get this cheap which i can't you'll need a cheap way out, like me. so if you've any suggestions of how to fill the gap it would be very helpful, if not ken would you mind keeping it zipped, electronics you may be good at sure but you know nothing about my life ok, just to let you know 5 years ago my dad dies of a heart attack ok so if you don't mind leaving his name alone!

cheers

andy

 

[murraysnudge]

Just a bit of light humour intended Andy, but sorry to have upset you. As you say old oak is not cheap and there is not a lot about. You can get old and new oak from places like this and they may be able to advise you on staining new oak to match the old.
What I would do is remove some floorboards near the edge of the room, which is not as visible, and use them to patch the hole. You will need to remove enough around the hole so as to stagger the joins. The new ones are then fixed in the less visible area.
You also have to decide what to do with the unused chimney. If you leave it open then you should fix an air grill in the plaster board or the chimney will get damp. There are different opinions on how to treat an unused chimney and some people seal them off at the top completely. I prefer to let them breathe especially if it's a 'cold' chimney on an outside wall. I don't know the correct name for it but I have used a ventilated clay cap which is shaped like a mushroom, with holes around the edge,and it just sits in the pot. With an air grill at the bottom there will be some air flow to keep the chimney dry, and also prevent birds nesting.

 

[andykinsey]

thanks for the apology but it wasnt jus you that annoyed me...

ok well im going to surf the net for the floor boards, and i havent got a clue where its get the vent for the plaster baord from would B&Q sell them or a store like that>?

 

[murraysnudge]

Yes B&Q or any diy shop.This is the hit&miss type where you can shut the air flow off by sliding the front across.

 

[salem2000]

For the oak flooring, why not try your local salvage/reclaim yard for old oak flooring. Most salvage/reclaim yards stock this type of timber as standard.

Search Here

or local phone book.

 

[andykinsey]

thanks guys, im off to B&Q tomorrow and also to find my nearest salvage yard.... i think i'll get my gran to drive me round to find it

thanks

 

[masona]

I was thinking does it have to be oak materials ? Will it be seen, if not can you not use any others cheaper timber materials ?

 

[andykinsey]

well a little update

we went and got the stuff from B&Q the vent and plaster board n plaster and then went and searched out a salvage yard where we found lengths of new oak, imported i think, which we will use one the outside of the room becuase we're taking the shorter planks up and moving them, we have also decided it will be on show so we're getting some special wood stain as advised by B&Q