Hello!
We have bought a house built in 1960. There is quite a bit of renovation waiting, and once it's done, I'm considering what to do with the open fireplace. (see image)
Today, it feels like a huge colossus in the room. The fireplace is through-going, with an insert that can be opened from both sides. The advantages of the fireplace are that it stores a lot of heat and that it's nice to be able to see the fire from both the dining room and the living room. However, I would like to remove the colossal feel and instead have it experienced as a dividing wall with a fireplace in it.
What I would like to do and wonder if it's possible and how to do it is:
- Partly, I would like to remove the "frame" that's around the opening, if possible, at least on the sides and the top,
-today the insert is much smaller than the opening, is it a bad idea to brick up some of the opening to make it a bit less wide?
-The wood storage opening is kind of on the side compared to the fireplace opening, any ideas?
-I want to plaster the brick, do you put mesh and plaster on the brick? The color is painted thickly but seems to stick very hard, can it remain if you use plaster mesh?
-I'm considering if it would look nice to extend upward from the insert with some kind of thin granite tiles in a row all the way to the ceiling, partly to break up the large fireplace wall and partly because it would be more practical if some smoke enters, the white plaster gets dirty quickly, I imagine.
-I also think fireplaces with a granite stone at the bottom edge of the fireplace opening look nice, how can that be solved?
I'm really grateful for all the advice and tips I can get!
We have bought a house built in 1960. There is quite a bit of renovation waiting, and once it's done, I'm considering what to do with the open fireplace. (see image)
Today, it feels like a huge colossus in the room. The fireplace is through-going, with an insert that can be opened from both sides. The advantages of the fireplace are that it stores a lot of heat and that it's nice to be able to see the fire from both the dining room and the living room. However, I would like to remove the colossal feel and instead have it experienced as a dividing wall with a fireplace in it.
What I would like to do and wonder if it's possible and how to do it is:
- Partly, I would like to remove the "frame" that's around the opening, if possible, at least on the sides and the top,
-today the insert is much smaller than the opening, is it a bad idea to brick up some of the opening to make it a bit less wide?
-The wood storage opening is kind of on the side compared to the fireplace opening, any ideas?
-I want to plaster the brick, do you put mesh and plaster on the brick? The color is painted thickly but seems to stick very hard, can it remain if you use plaster mesh?
-I'm considering if it would look nice to extend upward from the insert with some kind of thin granite tiles in a row all the way to the ceiling, partly to break up the large fireplace wall and partly because it would be more practical if some smoke enters, the white plaster gets dirty quickly, I imagine.
-I also think fireplaces with a granite stone at the bottom edge of the fireplace opening look nice, how can that be solved?
I'm really grateful for all the advice and tips I can get!
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And how do we find, I, again your picture on zoomin?
It was big! The size is emphasized by the too small fire cassette, replace it with one that is as close in size to the opening, I don't suggest reducing the opening, the fireplace insert will still look too small. Imagine the large fireplace insert, it will be impressive, a clean model fireplace in a penthouse! Really cool, exclusive and elegant. Polish the fireplace, the brick is hacking away at the wall and isn't up to date, compare with the penthouse fireplace. Our fireplace/chimney was plastered, yellow brick and red brick not pretty. Now it's plastered all over and painted white. The plaster was done directly on the old plaster/brick after washing and some knocking off of loose plaster. The edge around the fireplace opening he plasters over so it won't stick out like it does today. So I don't think you should bother removing it. In the picture, it doesn't look like there's smoke up after the chimney, just on the small edge, maybe an unnecessary action with stone up to the ceiling. There will always be a soot edge on the fireplace. You fix that by painting it once a year. Put something on the floor space next to the fireplace compartment to hide the off-centered wood storage.
So keep a small ledge of the edge around the stove, I don't mean that the mason/you should remove the ledge.
You are absolutely right about the stove insert, it would look much nicer with one that fits the opening. The problem is that since it opens from two sides, the owner would have had to custom order one that was welded together from two inserts, but maybe there are more options available today, though I'm afraid the cost might spiral out of control.
Regarding plaster mesh, I read somewhere that it's necessary if the surface is painted, otherwise, the plaster risks peeling off. Does anyone know if that's true? It might be a dreadful job to remove the paint.
On the other side of the stove, the brick is quite blackened, but that might be from before they installed the cassette, as it apparently smoked heavily back then.
Regarding plaster mesh, I read somewhere that it's necessary if the surface is painted, otherwise, the plaster risks peeling off. Does anyone know if that's true? It might be a dreadful job to remove the paint.
On the other side of the stove, the brick is quite blackened, but that might be from before they installed the cassette, as it apparently smoked heavily back then.
Maybe you don't even need an insert?
There is a company in Sthlm. that manufactures glass doors for tiled stoves. I got them to make a door for our small fireplace, a door with a damper at the bottom which acts as a fireplace insert. You attach the frame to the inside of the fireplace wall.
Cost for the door is around 2500:- if I remember correctly.
There is a company in Sthlm. that manufactures glass doors for tiled stoves. I got them to make a door for our small fireplace, a door with a damper at the bottom which acts as a fireplace insert. You attach the frame to the inside of the fireplace wall.
Cost for the door is around 2500:- if I remember correctly.
Well, the stove itself doesn't store that much heat unless it's clad inside or outside with stone. It's that cladding that stores the heat. Now, you have a chimney, and THAT stores heat!
The advantage of an insert stove is that you determine how long the fire will burn by restricting the oxygen supply, which makes the fire burn longer. You can restrict the oxygen supply simply by using flue damper vents. However, don't restrict so much that it causes smoldering, as this can cause tar deposits in the chimney and soot up the glass.
If you burn a fire in an open fireplace without an insert, or even with the insert doors completely open, then all the heat goes straight up the chimney. If you close the doors and ventilate through the flue, you'll notice how much warmer the chimney becomes, and it would be a waste not to take advantage of that stored heat. You don't need to install any material inside the doors (read should not). Otherwise, you'll miss the whole point of glass doors, and you don't lose that much heat through the glass.
The advantage of an insert stove is that you determine how long the fire will burn by restricting the oxygen supply, which makes the fire burn longer. You can restrict the oxygen supply simply by using flue damper vents. However, don't restrict so much that it causes smoldering, as this can cause tar deposits in the chimney and soot up the glass.
If you burn a fire in an open fireplace without an insert, or even with the insert doors completely open, then all the heat goes straight up the chimney. If you close the doors and ventilate through the flue, you'll notice how much warmer the chimney becomes, and it would be a waste not to take advantage of that stored heat. You don't need to install any material inside the doors (read should not). Otherwise, you'll miss the whole point of glass doors, and you don't lose that much heat through the glass.
Read the post I sent to you!
I misremembered the price, it cost 3680:-. The company is called Glasluckan.
www.glasluckan.se
info@glasluckan.se 08 304903
For the same reasons as you, I chose to install such a hatch...
www.glasluckan.se
info@glasluckan.se 08 304903
For the same reasons as you, I chose to install such a hatch...
when you log in to this site, you will see a message at the top of the picture saying that you have mail...(provided that you have mail). I was thinking of sending you pictures of our spisar. Alternatively, you can send an email to me carra1us@hotmail.com and the pictures will come.
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