Hi all,
I have a knackered old victorian fireplace which I would like to restore. Its fairly standard in that there is cast iron insert with movable hood, tiles up the side. Marble effect slate suuround and mantle which has split in two!!
OK questions are:
- Stripping the insert - I was thinking of just taking it down to a place that strips doors? Would that work?
- Finshing the insert - I've read something about a graphite finish any tips on this ?
- re fixing the tiles - should I be regrouting to the original holder?
- the surround is falling to pieces - I'd like to dismantle and reset - any tips on products I could use? I was thinking of a masonry epoxy for the joints - perhaps using steel brackets?
- the mantle repair - again thinking of gridning out some grooves on the underside dropping in some steel dowels and expoxy setting it in
- the marble effect is quite nice but a bit battered so was thinking of cleaning it up - any tips? Then finishing with a varnish? Does that seem ok?
- its missing the firebrick ad grate but perhaps I'll deal with that at installation!
Thanks in advance
I have a knackered old victorian fireplace which I would like to restore. Its fairly standard in that there is cast iron insert with movable hood, tiles up the side. Marble effect slate suuround and mantle which has split in two!!
OK questions are:
- Stripping the insert - I was thinking of just taking it down to a place that strips doors? Would that work?
- Finshing the insert - I've read something about a graphite finish any tips on this ?
- re fixing the tiles - should I be regrouting to the original holder?
- the surround is falling to pieces - I'd like to dismantle and reset - any tips on products I could use? I was thinking of a masonry epoxy for the joints - perhaps using steel brackets?
- the mantle repair - again thinking of gridning out some grooves on the underside dropping in some steel dowels and expoxy setting it in
- the marble effect is quite nice but a bit battered so was thinking of cleaning it up - any tips? Then finishing with a varnish? Does that seem ok?
- its missing the firebrick ad grate but perhaps I'll deal with that at installation!
Thanks in advance