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I watched a few of those. But perhaps I'm making it too complicated by trying to cast it in melamine? The picture I posted is from a blog post where they explain how they did it: https://www.themodernhouse.com/journal/how-to-create-a-concrete-fireplace-hearth/ Could I do something a bit like...

This is the sort of finish I wanted: IMG_4346-950x1425.jpg I was going to use cement dye to get it a bit darker.

Thanks for your replies. Really helpful. The main reason I was hoping to make it in a mould was so I'd get a smooth surface. Could it work if I poured concrete as a base layer - so I dig out the front hearth first, lay a dpm and put down a first layer of concrete to get it level, then cast the...

Hi. I'm getting a multi-fuel stove installed in about 3 weeks. It's going into a fireplace that I've stripped back to the builder's opening. I need to build the hearth. I think I'm going to make it out of concrete. One option would be to fix batons around the front of where the hearth needs to...

Thanks. I'll be careful about that.

It's not too bad. There are mortar stains (mainly cement mortar) here and there. I'm just keen to get them off before I get the scaffolding taken down.

Thanks. The lime stains aren't too bad. It's more the cement mortar I need to remove. I'll have a go at it with acid.

Hi. I've recently had my house repointed. It's been a bit of a saga - they pointed it with cement mortar first so I got them to rake it out and do it again with lime mortar. It's done now. But there are quite a few stains on the faces of the bricks - both from the cement mortar and the lime...

Hi. I'm getting my house repointed. It's a terraced house in East London, built around 1888 and the front is all soft red bricks. The bricks aren't in great condition. The faces aren't perfect rectangles - they're quite bashed and chipped. I need to decide between weather struck pointing and...

Thanks. That's a really useful tip.

@big-all Thanks for your advice about the letterbox. I see what you mean - they've completely cut out the joint between the middle rail and the mullion. Where would you position the letterbox? Just lower down? Or would you avoid having a letterbox in the door altogether?

@JobAndKnock Thanks. That's very helpful advice. It's not as hopeless as I thought then! So on those 2 lower panels, I assumed there was originally more to those panels but the raised parts are all that's left . Could I just fill the space between raised centre and the surrounding frame with...

I live in a Victorian terrace. My front door has been covered up with sheets of fibreboard on both sides for as long as I've lived here. Years ago a decorator had a look under the fibreboard and said he thought it was the original front door. I've recently removed the fibreboard on the inside...

Can anyone give me a steer as to the right mix for repointing the front of my house, which is soft red brick? I've been told it should be 3 parts sharp sand to 1 part lime (either lime putty or NHL 2). Does that sound right? Thanks.

Thanks. Yes, I actually spoke to them a couple of days ago after someone else put that link in this thread. They agreed it's not accurate to describe a mortar containing cement and lime as 'lime mortar'.

Thanks. That's good advice. I'll try to find someone who specialises in old buildings.

They've stopped work but it's blown up into an argument. They argue that I should have specified I wanted hydraulic lime, and that their mix containing cement and lime can be described as a 'lime mortar'. I've said I need to get an independent opinion - either a trader or a surveyor - before...

Thanks. That's really helpful.

Thanks again for your advice. Another quick question... Can they justify referring to cement mortar with a lime additive as 'lime mortar'? The comments by sxturbo and ^woody^ suggest they can't. Just checking I'm reading you correctly.

Again, thanks for your replies - very helpful. The reason for getting the red bricks repointed is that the front of the house had been patched here and there and then painted several times. Various types of fillers had been used. It was a bit of a mess.