I'm going to be fitting a new fire and surround but am wanting to fit the surround myself to keep the cost down. My problem is the old surround that I have removed was set into the wall(plaster) by approximately 1/2 an inch. My new surround is slightly smaller so my query is should I plaster the whole area of the old surround recess so the whole wall is flush before fitting, or should I fit the new surround and just plaster in the exposed area's left after fitting. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Help with the fitting of a new fireplace............please
- Thread starter mark5555
- Start date
Sorry for the lack of info, it's a proper fire, a gas fire was previously fitted and is getting replaced with another gas fire.
I would fit the new surround to the wall & fill the area up to it. Problem with Gypsum plaster & even conventional render base is that it won’t stand more than around 50 degrees C, it’ll crack & fail in a very short time. If you plaster the area & then fit your surround to it, it’s likely to fall off with the plaster!
Gypsum plaster should not be used on the wall closer than 300mm either side or at least 500mm above the fire or you’re most likely to have problems, how far is the fire from the edge of your new surround?
Gypsum plaster should not be used on the wall closer than 300mm either side or at least 500mm above the fire or you’re most likely to have problems, how far is the fire from the edge of your new surround?
Hi, the area that will need filling is 350mm from the fire and is only going to be approximately 15mm along both sides and the top. What filler would you recommend?
I use a sand/cement/lime render under a heat proof plaster on fire surrounds but the area you have to fill is so small it hardly seems worth the hassle or relatively high expense. I’d be tempted to try Easyfill in the first instance; you may just get away with it at the sides but not sure about the area above the fire. If it fails, you can always rake it out & resort to a heatproof render & plaster.
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