Do It Yourself Fireplace
A fireplace affords a warm look to any house and most houses before the 1950’s were equipped with at least one fireplace that was the center of all family activities and social life. As life comes full circle, so do décor trends and features and fireplaces too have sprung back into modern homes, to add a certain unique charm and elegant functionality- pre-fabricated ones that are easily available in the market are popular options for most people who have basic and practical skills for installing one.
An easy guide to installing your own fireplace
The process of fitting in a fireplace, especially a cast-iron one or a pre-fabricated one that has a well equipped kit with comprehensive instructions (some even come with videos) is easy and only basic tools and skills are needed. The first step is to chip away any loose plaster around the recess in the wall with a hammer and cold chisel. This ensures that the new fireplace will fit flush with the surrounding wall. As the norm goes, a fireplace usually sits on a hearth made from tiles or stone, but if this is not the case, then you may be required to lay a new hearth on mortar. Check if it is horizontal with a spirit level and push the rear of the hearth flush with the wall. In case the fire back or opening are badly cracked or damaged, call in a builder. The various fireplace parts can be assembled on the floor first to get a general overview of them. The traditional cast iron fireplaces have tiles in the side panels that must be fitted and held in place with fire cement while metal fireplaces can be positioned on the new hearth and centered in the opening. This may require you to hold the fireplace in place by fixing through the side lugs with screws and wall plugs or cavity wall fixings. Using a spirit level will ensure that it is indeed level. Filling in the area behind the metal front with an insulating mix of one part mortar to six parts vermiculite, readily available at DIY stores and builder’s merchant is next. Main assembling requires the screwing together of top and sides of the timber fire surround, ensuring parts are at right angles to each other.
Ensuring a clean finish to the fireplace
The finishing is crucial to the overall look of the fireplace and the fixing of the outer edges to the walls with small metal plates needs to be done with careful detail and going over these patiently will ensure a clean, almost professional installation, spreading the warm glow to home and hearth.