What to do with big dark fireplace?

[Roger465]

What it says, really... it's a bit dark and oppressive, dominating the room.

Anybody know if these are made of solid wood, which might look better stripped?

Or better still, has anybody got direct experience of actually doing anything with a fireplace like this?

Thanks

 

[Doggit]

It's possibly in two parts. I'd be inclined to remove the mirror, and use a multi surface paint on the lower part. You'd need to find somewhere discrete to maybe drill it and see what it's made off, but I doubt if it's strippable.

 

[Robbie uk]

Depends how old it is. If its old it could be solid mahogany, if newer it might be mahogany veneer over chipboard. I think it looks lovely with the overmantle on it as well.

 

[JohnD]

it's large and grand, but to my eye it says "modern repro." The finish is very red but unfigured. If it was old it would probably have been painted white by now, and might have been grained pine when new.

How old is the house?

Show us the ceiling above the fire.

I used to have an Edwardian house that was built with a grand mantel in the drawing room, and the ceiling cornicing and coving was run to suit it, and the central gasolier position had a fancy plaster roundel laid out to exactly match the centre of the fire.

If it is original, and you don't appreciate it, sell it to someone who will.

 

[Roger465]

It's Vintage 1994, and these houses were quite expensive when built, so might well be mahogany - even the garage rear door is

Yes the top bit comes off, but I've kind of got used to it now, like those Victorian fireplaces everybody ripped out and threw in the skip back in the 70s, then paid fortunes to salvage yards to buy them back in the 90s...

It's just so DARK

 

[JohnD]

if it is solid (I doubt it) it will not be mahogany but might be "mahogany" some tropical hardwood such as Meranti or Sapele that can be dyed and look quite nice.

Show us a closeup of the grain/figure

 

[Roger465]

Show us a closeup of the grain/figure

Umm... errmmm... guess what I should have said was "the garage door is made of something which looks like mahogany to the uninitiated - red, very hard, broke two jigsaw blades cutting a hole for the catflap".

What's a "figure" in this context?

 

[JohnD]

Yep, I've got doors like that, I think from the '80s. Probably Meranti. Very fine, tight grain. Now I can only see such doors in veneer on an engineered core. I use a red stain on mine.

Figure is the shape and colour of the "grain." It may be dead straight, or it may have burrs and swirls. More figured wood is more prized, and may be used for cabinetry veneers (also for expensive gunstocks, musical instruments, and the like).

https://www.cookwoods.com/xf-figured-honduras-mahogany-1

 

[JohnD]

"fiddleback" $174 they say

 

[Roger465]

Figure is the shape and colour of the "grain." It may be dead straight, or it may have burrs and swirls. More figured wood is more prized, and may be used for cabinetry veneers (also for expensive gunstocks and the like).

AH gotcha - I used to shoot a lot, and "burred walnut" was the thing to have.

If I remember correctly, it was taken from near the base of the trunk, where walnut had a habit of producing thousands of little side-shoots, which made for lots of swirls in the wood... I expect this is plain though.

If it's red wood, well, guess I wouldn't want to strip and expose it, really... wouldn't go with the rest of the room. SO I suppose it's leave it as it is, or paint it... inertia will probably prevail...

 

[JohnD]

yep

it might be naturally pink or reddish brown, the deep red colour is done by adding a red dye. You can get striking results, but the grain and figure won't be right for the timber you are faking.

There is a technique called "graining" to apply a paint in a way that replicates hardwood, popular in Victorian homes. The National Gallery has doors skilfully done to resemble fine mahogany. I expect they are actually pine.

(the "fiddleback" sample above is I think Honduras Mahogany, they probably wetted it to show off the figure. It is not naturally red, just a warm light brown)

 

[Nige F]

What it says, really... it's a bit dark and oppressive, dominating the room.

Anybody know if these are made of solid wood, which might look better stripped?

Or better still, has anybody got direct experience of actually doing anything with a fireplace like this?

Thanks

Remove it - sell it to Robbie and get a nice stone chimneypiece

 

[Robbie uk]

I don't like it that much