How to cut toothed bricks properly ??

[Heatslave]

Hi ,

Non builder here taking down an internal chimney breast from loft to ground floor level.

You know when you're bored in the winter, and see little jobs that need doing, and think yep let's have a go at that ?? Well, that's exactly what I was thinking when I thought about taking this chimney breast down in the dining room to create a bit more space in the house. Now......after getting the loft bit done and gallows brackets in, and the bedroom done, and getting as sick as a parrot about how much more difficult the job is than I could have ever imagined ??.......I wish I'd never started !!

Anyroadup........to get to the point.......can someone please tell me the best way to cut through the bricks that are (I believe the word is) toothed into the party wall so it's a clean cut ?? The ones I've done range from a few that look ok, some that are pretty much knackered, and some that are completely knackered. I don't think building control will be impressed .

I've been using a bolster chisel in some cases, and a cheap breaker in others ??

Yours, covered in soot, dust, brick and what is probably asbestos,
Graeme.

 

[John D v2.0]

How clean does it need to be? Angle grinder if you don't have enough dust already
In seriousness though, if you're plasterboarding over then it doesn't matter too much, just do what you can.

 

[^woody^]

One quick tap with a hammer and [sharp] bolster.

 

[Heatslave]

How clean does it need to be? Angle grinder if you don't have enough dust already
In seriousness though, if you're plasterboarding over then it doesn't matter too much, just do what you can.

Not being a builder, I don't know how clean it needs to be ?? I just remember the building inspector on his initial visit saying he would like to see the walls before plastering to check the brick work.

Is it ok for the bricks not to be perfect ?? And what would you do, just fill the bad ones in with cement, or would you have to take hem out fully and replace with new halfbricks ??

And.....don't mention the word "dust" !!

 

[Heatslave]

View attachment 141927 One quick tap with a hammer and [sharp] bolster.

Thanks for that, will get the angle grinder on my bolster

 

[John D v2.0]

remember the building inspector on his initial visit saying he would like to see the walls before plastering to check the brick work.

He's probably just checking you can't see through to next door and the fofi resistance is maintained to next door. Plus any obvious signs of it being likely to fall down.
He's not going to give you any points for neatness

 

[^woody^]

The inspector will want to check the remaining party wall or external wall whatever, to make sure its integrity is still intact and there are no missing or loose bricks or mortar, or bits of brick that will impact on the strucure or fire resistance.

Sometimes, behind chimney breasts there is no actual wall but a load of bricks and mortar shovelled down around the flues.

He's not checking the actual cut faces of the bricks.

 

[cdbe]

I had my steels signed of by BC 3 years ago and got the certificate, I've only started removing the breasts this year - he wasn't interested in the rest. I chopped the bricks by drilling 3 holes across each one with an SDS and then cutting them off with the SDS chisel (but they were rock hard Accrington's). Make good with a strong sand and cement mix. If you're putting plasterboard over that's fine (but soot and tar will show through the adhesive) if you're wet plastering you need to think about tanking to stop the soot and tar showing through.

 

[Heatslave]

Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone, I think that’s my question answered

I’ll tidy up the bad ones with new bricks n mortar, and that should be it, jobs’ a good ‘ un !!