Hello
We recently had an old back boiler and gas fire removed from a fireplace and replaced with a new central heating system.
This has left a big ugly space in the fireplace and I want to seal it up and put an attractive front on it.
What would be the best option for me to seal up the fireplace and tile over the top?
I was originally going to put some wood (hardboard or mdf) into the hole and then plaster/polyfill to a flat surface and to seal any gaps, then tile over the top of that. Is that sensible, or should I be aiming to use bricks and mortar to seal the gap? And then what would I put on top of this to create a surface for tiling?
I have heard hardboard is not a good surface for tiling straight onto.
I have also read that you need to be careful with sealing up fireplaces due to condensation. If that is the case, how do I prevent this from happening whilst still being able to put an attractive facade on the front? Leave some holes?
Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom
We recently had an old back boiler and gas fire removed from a fireplace and replaced with a new central heating system.
This has left a big ugly space in the fireplace and I want to seal it up and put an attractive front on it.
What would be the best option for me to seal up the fireplace and tile over the top?
I was originally going to put some wood (hardboard or mdf) into the hole and then plaster/polyfill to a flat surface and to seal any gaps, then tile over the top of that. Is that sensible, or should I be aiming to use bricks and mortar to seal the gap? And then what would I put on top of this to create a surface for tiling?
I have heard hardboard is not a good surface for tiling straight onto.
I have also read that you need to be careful with sealing up fireplaces due to condensation. If that is the case, how do I prevent this from happening whilst still being able to put an attractive facade on the front? Leave some holes?
Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom