Hello!
I have a chimney breast in the house where I would like to build a "floating" frame against it, using materials like lightweight concrete or Leca, and then plaster it. The idea is to store firewood there for the stove that stands nearby. The frame would measure approximately 100 cm wide x 60 cm high.
Is this feasible, and how can I ensure it supports the amount of wood it needs to hold?
It should not have support from the floor...
/Peter
I have a chimney breast in the house where I would like to build a "floating" frame against it, using materials like lightweight concrete or Leca, and then plaster it. The idea is to store firewood there for the stove that stands nearby. The frame would measure approximately 100 cm wide x 60 cm high.
Is this feasible, and how can I ensure it supports the amount of wood it needs to hold?
It should not have support from the floor...
/Peter
You can take flat iron with a thickness of 6 or 8 mm and bend it to create an outer frame for your brick frame, like this [ but with longer legs. Bend the ends ninety degrees to create "attachment ears" against the chimney. Bolt the irons to the chimney. Then take your aerated concrete blocks and carve out grooves where the flat iron can rest. Insert aerated concrete blocks into the flat iron frame, mortar them together, and cover the grooves with mortar. Then plaster.
Don't forget to rust-paint the iron.
Don't forget to rust-paint the iron.
If you replace the flat bar with a square tube, it will hold up to anything. However, you will need to weld the tubes at the corners.
Also, consider if the chimney has sufficient bearing capacity for the screws. At home in Germany, it was strictly forbidden to drill/screw into chimneys, but in Sweden, there are no such restrictions.
To attach to the chimney, use really good plugs, not some crap from BilligMax. The best are Fischer plugs made of nylon, but there are good copies. I will test in a few weeks for a new project.
For the screws, use 8 mm French wood screws, preferably electrogavanized or chromated if possible, as they are much easier to drive in and there's less risk of getting cheap crap with weak material.
Also, consider if the chimney has sufficient bearing capacity for the screws. At home in Germany, it was strictly forbidden to drill/screw into chimneys, but in Sweden, there are no such restrictions.
To attach to the chimney, use really good plugs, not some crap from BilligMax. The best are Fischer plugs made of nylon, but there are good copies. I will test in a few weeks for a new project.
For the screws, use 8 mm French wood screws, preferably electrogavanized or chromated if possible, as they are much easier to drive in and there's less risk of getting cheap crap with weak material.