Hi there,
I am in the process of making my fireplace larger. I have carefully removed the bricks below the arch lintel but am now worried about the condition of the arch.
The arch is made up of two rows of bricks with the bottom row of bricks sitting on a curved steel arch. The bottom row of bricks appear to be fine. The top row of bricks that make up the arch are in a really bad state - there are huge gaps, cracked and loose bricks and some of the bricks appear to have been cut in half.
Is there anything i can do to strengthen this arch, in particular the top row of arched bricks? Will filling in the gaps with concrete be enough or will they need to be supported in another way?
Any advice would be HUGELY appreciated!
I am in the process of making my fireplace larger. I have carefully removed the bricks below the arch lintel but am now worried about the condition of the arch.
The arch is made up of two rows of bricks with the bottom row of bricks sitting on a curved steel arch. The bottom row of bricks appear to be fine. The top row of bricks that make up the arch are in a really bad state - there are huge gaps, cracked and loose bricks and some of the bricks appear to have been cut in half.
Is there anything i can do to strengthen this arch, in particular the top row of arched bricks? Will filling in the gaps with concrete be enough or will they need to be supported in another way?
Any advice would be HUGELY appreciated!