Need your help! We have a fireplace with a smooth white surface that has seen better days. The finish is cracked, blackened, and scuffed, it's probably been there since the cabin was built in the 50s. We are now considering re-plastering it to make the fireplace smooth and nice again, but how do we go about it and what material should we use?
Is it too difficult a project or can we dare to take it on ourselves?
Hope you can help us!
Is it too difficult a project or can we dare to take it on ourselves?
Hope you can help us!
I'm certainly not an expert, but I've seen my friend replaster my stove wall, and I think I could have managed to do it myself if needed.
First, it's probably best to cover the floor near the stove with chipboard or similar, and then wipe away any loose soot as best as you can. After that, you should knock off the plaster that you think is loose enough to fall off by itself otherwise. Then, dampen any deep holes with an appropriate brush, such as a cheap large facade painting brush, or apply primer. Primer is good if there are only bricks left after you've knocked off the plaster. After that, fill these holes with plaster so you have a good surface to eventually apply the final layer.
When the coarse plastering has dried, attach fine mesh metal netting with its corresponding fastening system, some form of reinforcement netting you can find at larger hardware stores. Approximately 10 cm overlap at the seams between net parts.
Then you'll do the fine plastering, and most major plaster manufacturers provide good instructions for the basic procedure for corners and such, which you can apply to your stove.
In general, it's easy and rewarding to work with gypsum plaster, but small cracks can occur if it gets too hot above the fireplace, so the very best, though a bit more challenging to work with, is probably plaster mix C.
If you plan to paint afterward, use a paint that breathes well, unlike a glossy and dense plastic paint.
You need some simple trowels and buckets and a really strong hammer drill to attach the netting and mix the plaster. And, of course, a mortar mixer. Instead of a hammer drill, it might be helpful to have a hammer to also knock loose plaster with the machine. And a shop vacuum.
First, it's probably best to cover the floor near the stove with chipboard or similar, and then wipe away any loose soot as best as you can. After that, you should knock off the plaster that you think is loose enough to fall off by itself otherwise. Then, dampen any deep holes with an appropriate brush, such as a cheap large facade painting brush, or apply primer. Primer is good if there are only bricks left after you've knocked off the plaster. After that, fill these holes with plaster so you have a good surface to eventually apply the final layer.
When the coarse plastering has dried, attach fine mesh metal netting with its corresponding fastening system, some form of reinforcement netting you can find at larger hardware stores. Approximately 10 cm overlap at the seams between net parts.
Then you'll do the fine plastering, and most major plaster manufacturers provide good instructions for the basic procedure for corners and such, which you can apply to your stove.
In general, it's easy and rewarding to work with gypsum plaster, but small cracks can occur if it gets too hot above the fireplace, so the very best, though a bit more challenging to work with, is probably plaster mix C.
If you plan to paint afterward, use a paint that breathes well, unlike a glossy and dense plastic paint.
You need some simple trowels and buckets and a really strong hammer drill to attach the netting and mix the plaster. And, of course, a mortar mixer. Instead of a hammer drill, it might be helpful to have a hammer to also knock loose plaster with the machine. And a shop vacuum.
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