The old open fireplace needs to be removed and a new modern wood-burning stove will be purchased and connected to the existing chimney breast. The plan is for us, the residents, to dismantle the old open fireplace and prepare the floor, then a company will place the stove and connect it to the chimney etc. according to our quote.
So, now to the fun part! Any tips and ideas on how to knock down the old fireplace without damaging the chimney behind too much and to make as little impact as possible on the ceiling above? Are there any good tools? Chisel and hammer? Hilti machine and concrete drill? How do I remove the stones in a careful yet effective way?
A hammer/small sledgehammer and a chisel work well. The mortar is usually quite soft to accommodate movements from the heat. So the stones come off quite easily. Just gently and methodically knock away one stone at a time. It usually gets very dusty, so wrap plastic around it
In certain cases, the stone is stuck fast and you may need to chisel. In other cases, like mine, it was built with lime mortar, and I could basically take down both the chimney and the stove with just my hands.
How did it go!? We have a similar one we want to take down.
We had a similar one in our basement that we removed. I thought it would collapse on its own if you chipped at it a little or hit it with a sledgehammer. I think it took 2 days together with the craftsmen to demolish and carry up the crap. Felt like chiseling in bunker concrete =).
Ours was more massive than the one in the first post:
We had a similar one in our basement that we removed. I thought it would collapse by itself if you drilled a little into it or hit it with a sledgehammer. I think it took 2 days together with craftspeople to demolish and carry up the stuff. It felt like drilling in bunker concrete =).
Ours was more massive than the one in the first post:
Thanks, Woggy! Really good to hear that it went well even though it took time!
The old open fireplace will be removed and a new modern wood stove will be acquired and connected to the existing chimney. The plan is for us, the residents of the house, to tear down the old open fireplace and prepare the floor, then a company will place the stove and connect it to the chimney according to our agreement.
So, now for the fun part! Any tips and ideas on how to take down the old fireplace without damaging the chimney too much and to minimize the impact on the stretch ceiling above? Are there any good tools? Chisel and hammer? Hilti machine and concrete drill? How do I remove the stones in a careful but effective way?
Thanks in advance!
[image]
How did it go in the end? We have a similar one we want to replace soon...
The stove was knocked down with a chisel and a sledgehammer from Biltema. Occasionally, a rotary hammer was used to loosen some stones, but the mortar was very porous and came off easily. It was dusty as heck. At least as bad as sanding dust from filler.
We wanted a rear-connected fireplace, so I had to chisel out some stones so the chimney pipe could go lower.
The wall was plastered, and we chose to encase the chimney pipes because we didn't know if there were any cracks in the flues after demolishing and chiseling.
Advantage: Never have to worry about it being leaky between the flues and needing to tear down and redo to seal. Disadvantage: The chimney stack doesn't get warm due to the insulation around the pipe. Cost an extra 5-10 thousand, I recall.
Drilled a hole to the garage below where we brought in fresh air to the fireplace. The large hole from the stove was filled with leveling compound, and tiles were laid.
I did the demolition of the old stove myself, the rest was subcontracted. The stove cost just over 30 thousand, other materials around 10, labor cost around 20.
Thanks for the update! What a job and it turned out so well. We also want to tear down our fireplace, which is nice to have Christmas cards on during Christmas but is not good for anything else. We are planning to have the flue relined afterward.
It looks like you kept the original parquet. How did you protect it during the demolition?
Thanks for the update! What a job and it turned out great.
We also want to demolish our fireplace, which is nice for displaying Christmas cards during Christmas but not useful for anything else.
We plan to glide-cast the chimney afterwards.
It looks like you kept the original parquet floor. How did you protect it during the demolition?
Laid out a bunch of rugs in front. There were never any stones falling down, just got mostly dusty.
