Chiping away brick
Hi, I’m inserting a wood burner insert and placing cultured stone over the existing fireplace. MY QUESTION IS CAN i REMOVE THE EXISSTING HEARTH WITHOUT DAMAGING THE FIREPLACE WALL? I would like to install new hearth stones but if I go on top of existing hearth I won’t have the clearance I need for wood…
Hi, I’m inserting a wood burner insert and placing cultured stone over the existing fireplace. MY QUESTION IS CAN i REMOVE THE EXISSTING HEARTH WITHOUT DAMAGING THE FIREPLACE WALL? I would like to install new hearth stones but if I go on top of existing hearth I won’t have the clearance I need for wood burner. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Hearth is the brick to the right in one photo.
“expected” LOL inspected.
You can pull out the old hearth without any likely damage to the firebox. vinca’s right though. The box should ideally be firebrick but as long as its fully pointed, the existing brick is fine. More importantly, as he says, make sure you get the whole chimney expected before starting a wood fire. Most brownstone chimneys are not wide enough for a wood fire.
Sorry to reply with more questions, rather than answers, but based on your photo the first questions that cross my mind are about the condition and fire-rating of your existing brick and mortar, the rating of the cultured stone and mortar you’re thinking of using, the current condition of your chimney and flue, and whether they will provide sufficient draft to your insert. Maybe you’ve checked these out already, but otherwise I’d recommend you call a chimney sweep to take a look at existing conditions before even thinking about demo/rebuild.