Render inside Fireplace ?

[billm]

Hi, I am going to open up this fireplace along the original brick line and put a wood stove in. There will be about 12" gap at the sides of the stove and perhaps 6" at the back to the chimney breast.

My first thought was to have decorative brickwork on the sides of the opening but now I'm thinking of getting the plasterer to render sand & cement the sides instead and paint it.

Is that feasible or will the heat from the stove crack it and the paint peal off ?

 

[roy c]

Before you take the bricks out check wether you have a Lintol further up the chimney breast. If not then you will have to put one in before you start taking bricks out. I would knock a bit more plaster off and see wether it is higher up. You need a lintol in and if it hasnt got one, determine what height your stove will be and put a new lintol in to suit.. As for plaster and brick I personally would go for some nice brick work. I think that they might have put the lintol higher up .

 

[DIYedboy]

I rendered inside my fireplace (sand, cement, lime) and my stovax woodburner hasn't cracked the render, that was last year n still fine...........woodburner is going right now!

 

[Bilabong007]

I lined the inside of mine with dot and dab cement board and it's survived 2 yrs no probs. hardiebacker took paint no probs and I just caulked the edges.

Graeme

 

[billm]

Took more plaster off to reveal the original arch which I assume is doing the job of a lintel ? Is it safe to remove the infill bricks and rely on the arch to support the weight or does it need a lintel ?

Its a pity the arch bricks aren't proud of the chimney breast otherwise I could have left them protruding as a feature when the breast was plastered.

This is what I was planning of installing, a 200x200 dried Oak lintel set into the chimney breast before I saw the arch:

Not sure what to do now tho .. plastered Arch or Oak Beam mantle

 

[billm]

I rendered inside my fireplace (sand, cement, lime) and my stovax woodburner hasn't cracked the render, that was last year n still fine...........woodburner is going right now!

thanks, did you paint the render or add colour to the mix ?

 

[roy c]

I think you could still put the oak beam in below the arch and it would still look good and still render it like "DIYedboy" has said...

 

[billm]

I think you could still put the oak beam in below the arch and it would still look good and still render it like "DIYedboy" has said...

Yes I'm thinking along those lines too.

I assume I'd have to put a couple of Props & Strongboys above the arch to carry the weight while I knock bricks out for the oak beam ?

A friend suggested "notching" the oak beam so it looks like it is solid but in reality it is just bolted to the front of the chimney breast. But for the little extra work involved I'd prefer to sit the beam in properly.

 

[DIYedboy]

I painted it with black heatproof paint (the fire is a stovax view 5). On the front I wanted a classic look, so I used black granite and black granite hearth with a white timber surround.