covering recess of fireplace ready for multifuel burner

Hi, i am fitting a multifuel stove to my fire place, i have a class 1 chimney and have already carried out a smoke test to ensure there are no leaks and will get it hetas certified after fitting.

my question is, the recess is ugly messy concrete ect, i wanted to tile the sides and back but have been told the heat from the burner will make them come off, even if i use high temp adhesive! is this correct? and if so is there any way of tiling the recess effectively as im certain ive seen them tiled before with multifuel / wood stoves fitted.

many thanks in advance.

Leight said:

Hi, i am fitting a multifuel stove to my fire place, i have a class 1 chimney and have already carried out a smoke test to ensure there are no leaks and will get it hetas certified after fitting.

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Unless he’s a really good mate of yours, I can’t imagine any HETAS registered installer will be prepared to do that as it breaches both Building Regulations & the terms of his registration; getting caught out could jeopardise his means of earning a daily crust. The installation must either be carried out by a registered installer or a Building Notice submitted for DIY or it will be classed as unauthorised building work.

Leight said:

my question is, the recess is ugly messy concrete ect, i wanted to tile the sides and back but have been told the heat from the burner will make them come off, even if i use high temp adhesive! is this correct? and if so is there any way of tiling the recess effectively as im certain ive seen them tiled before with multifuel / wood stoves fitted.

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I know Granite tiles work so, presumably, most natural stone tiles will be OK; ceramic & porcelain should also be OK as they are high temperature fired but you must use a powdered cement adhesive not tub mix. Another trick is not to use grout, just set the tiles close allowing a very small gap for expansion; if you want to fill the gap, use silicone not grout.

Do not use Gypsum based plaster (base or finish) in the area around the stove; it will only withstand around 50 degrees C & will crack & fall off.

Hi thanks for your reply, yes he is a friend of mine but no he wont be breaking the terms of his registration, ive already spoken to him on the subject.

basically he fitted my current hearth a year or so back and he assures me the hearth meets the current requirements of the building regs,. I also spoke about a chimney liner and he said i would not need one providing it passes a few checks including a smoke test, so i said i would carry out a smoke test and inspect for leaks ect just to see if i would need a liner, ive measured up the recess and he will be getting me a register plate to suit which i will initially fit after ive tiled the recess and then fired the stove to ensure the tiles remain in place.

after all this he is going to come round remove the stove and register plate and do his own tests then refit the stove and do some more tests when the stove is up and running (what ever tests they maybe).

so in effect it will be him fitting the stove but me doing some of the monkey work to save him the work.

i just cutt all that out in my first post to save the long winded version as above.

but regards the tiles, he says as does a small local family run buisiness in the trade, that the tiles will come away when the stove is fired even if i use high temp adhesive. but i think i will try what you suggest.

many thanks

Leight said:

regards the tiles, he says as does a small local family run buisiness in the trade, that the tiles will come away when the stove is fired even if i use high temp adhesive. but i think i will try what you suggest.

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What adhesive have they tried? Ready mixed tub adhesive is only good for around 100 degrees C but a decent rapidset, cement powdered adhesive will withstand temperatures up to 150 degrees. I’ve used it successfully on tile surrounds where I’ve measured temperatures well over 90 degerees C; I’ll admit I’ve not tried it inside a fire recesses but this stuff will go up to 1000 degrees C;
http://shop.vitcas.com/vitcas-heat-resistant-tile-adhesive-14-p.asp
I can’t imagine that wouldn’t be sufficient!

Maybe they didn’t leave expansion gaps in the tiles; if the tiles were grouted as normal they will not have room to expand as they get hot. If you compare stone hearths & surrounds made for decorative fires with ones made for solid fuel, you will see that the difference is the ones made for solid fuel incorporate expansion gaps to prevent them cracking.

If in doubt, it may be best to use a high temperature screed;
http://shop.vitcas.com/vitcas-heatproof-screed-17-p.asp

or a sand/cement/lime render will also work but both these will leave a much coarser finish than plaster.

The simplest way to solve the problem of the walls around the stove is to fit them with Scamalex panels. These are made from ceramic fiber and are totally heat resistant. They come in large panels, in various finishes, and you just cut them to size with a saw.
I would agree with all previous corispondants that the instillation of the stove itself should be left with a professional, ideally get a supply and fit price when buying the stove.