Renovating an open fireplace

[mackandmutley]

I am in the process of replacing the aesthetic parts of my open fire. It previously consisted of what I think is called york stone taking up most of the wall constructed to make a back panel and mantel for the fire as well as inset shelving along its 6 foot course and what looked like 50mm paving slabs for the hearth, I believe this style was all the rage in the 70's!

I have removed the hearth and have chipped off all of the stones off of the wall and am now left with a wall back to render as well as a hole in the wall with the exposed orginal bricks and a clay?? fireback which is about 22" high and 19" wide and is inset into the fireplace opening.

The plasterer is coming tomorrow to tidy up the wall and then after that its down to me to make the hole look something like a fireplace again.

i'm stuck, where do I go for a hearth and back board and mantel, B+Q etc have said there marble mantels,back panels and hearths are not for solid fuel and I havent got the thousands of pounds needed for some of the ones ive seen on the internet.

Budget is tight, and I am looking to only use the fire 6 to 10 times a year so I can't afford to let it eat up the whole budget for the room.

Could anyone with any tips come back to me?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Well will depend on the fire you have or are going to install.
The manufacturers instruction will dictate the size the hole can be min-max. plus if a hearth is needed and agian the size that it will required to be, normaly about 665mm x 300mm x50mm.
Do you need a panel or mantel?

 

[Richard C]

The plasterer is coming tomorrow to tidy up the wall and then after that its down to me to make the hole look something like a fireplace again.

You need to decide what type of fire you are going to install first. If your planning to retain an open fire or install any sort of wood burning/solid fuel stove, these generate high temperatures in the immediate area of the wall surrounding the fire; be warned that conventional Gypsum plaster will not withstand temperatures above 49 degrees C, it will crack, blow & fall off the wall. Read this, it’s the most recent of many incidents;
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=200462

You can buy fire surrounds suitable for the high temperatures generated by solid fuel fires or you can create your own by using large 600 x 300 granite tiles over a sand/cement/lime render but these can cost around £20 each retail (£14 trade).