Hi
I have removed my mantelpiece and hearth etc to expose my old fireplace in readiness to install a wood burning stove. My HETAS engineer has already surveyed the area and given me the instructions to follow to be in line with building regs but I have a questions which he cant really answer and hope some kind person on here can....
I have used sand and cement on the inside part of the fireplace - I was going to mix with lime as suggested by someone or perhaps even use fireboard but the HETAS engineer said sand and cement is fine and will not cause the render to crack. I am pretty happy with the job, its a bit rough in places but we were always after that shabby farm house kind of look.
Now, we move onto the main bit - the surrounding area. I have knocked off all the old render and used coin beading on the sides (firmly held in place by my inner sand-and-cementing (is that also referred to as render??!) and used stop bead on the lintel but my first effort at skimming this section has been a completed failure. My mix was a bit wet but I find that when I skim up from the lintel to the slightly elevated section where I've knocked off, hardly any sand and cement sticks to the stop bead and if it does it is extremely thin and wont look right when it goes off - I have since knocked it all off.
So my questions are this: -
Is sand and cement sufficient for the surrounding area?
How do I achieve a uniform finish on the lintel so that the stop bead is covered in a good few mm of sand and cement?
Should I just get a plasterer in?
Thanks in advance!
Sam
I have removed my mantelpiece and hearth etc to expose my old fireplace in readiness to install a wood burning stove. My HETAS engineer has already surveyed the area and given me the instructions to follow to be in line with building regs but I have a questions which he cant really answer and hope some kind person on here can....
I have used sand and cement on the inside part of the fireplace - I was going to mix with lime as suggested by someone or perhaps even use fireboard but the HETAS engineer said sand and cement is fine and will not cause the render to crack. I am pretty happy with the job, its a bit rough in places but we were always after that shabby farm house kind of look.
Now, we move onto the main bit - the surrounding area. I have knocked off all the old render and used coin beading on the sides (firmly held in place by my inner sand-and-cementing (is that also referred to as render??!) and used stop bead on the lintel but my first effort at skimming this section has been a completed failure. My mix was a bit wet but I find that when I skim up from the lintel to the slightly elevated section where I've knocked off, hardly any sand and cement sticks to the stop bead and if it does it is extremely thin and wont look right when it goes off - I have since knocked it all off.
So my questions are this: -
Is sand and cement sufficient for the surrounding area?
How do I achieve a uniform finish on the lintel so that the stop bead is covered in a good few mm of sand and cement?
Should I just get a plasterer in?
Thanks in advance!
Sam
