attaching victorian slate fire surround to wall

[janet]

Can anyone give me advice please?
I've bought a restored Victorian fireplace with a slate surround and mantleshelf and don't know how it should be fixed to the wall. The fireplace part is 37" W x 38" H. It has 2 slate side parts (not sure of technical name) either side of the fireplace 10.5"W x 48" H and a slate top piece between these side parts which is 38.5" W x 9" H and then there is a slate mantle shelf which goes on top.
Does anyone know how the fireplace and surround should be secured?
We will be having builders in to do this.
We are having a hearth made which will be 7.5cm off the ground - unfortunately the original slate hearth was broken beyond repair ( according to builders)
Many thanks - in advance.
janet

 

[chuckey]

One "traditionel" way was to fix the uprights to the wall by banging in great big angled spikes, where the bent bit caught the front of the uprights and stopped them from falling forward. The mantlepiece was then "balanced" on the sides and the bridging piece, but it was inserted right into the plasterwork up against the brick and then plastered in with a depth of 2" of plaster so it was not inclined to move much. I can't recommend this method it is hit and miss and untidy. It all depends on the constuction of the sides and and bridging piece(s), I think mine were stuck together with Keens cement, a bit like plaster of paris, where these bits had come loose, I cleaned all the muck off and used epoxy resin to hold them together. Like wise to hold the verticals up to the wall, I think I drilled, say 8mm holes into the outside edge pieces from the back, drilled and plugged the wall and drove a screw in so its head was in this recess in the slate. the screw head was then covered in epoxy likewise the hole, the whole thing was propped up and its been like it for 20 years +. The mantlepiece was put back as before but with more epoxy to hold it to the sides. The reason I did all this was that the side sections were about 2 1/2" deep with the original mantlepiece about 11" deep, and the thing always looked top heavy and ungainly. So I cut off about 3 " from the back of the mantlepiece and it looked a lot better.
Frank

 

[ljn]

I've had marble fire surrounds installed by different fireplace installers. The technique was similar: each vertical side was tied to a sturdy wall hook with a loops of wire. Can't remember how the wire was fixed to the back of the marble. A wooden peg was inserted in the loop, and by twisting the peg, the vertical parts of the surround were drawn to the wall. Some kind of white plaster filler was used to bond and fill the joints. The plaster of the wall above was chased out and the top horizontal pieces laid in place. Then the wall was filled.

 

[Penners]

The ones that I've seen have been fitted with cranked mirror plates (like this, but cranked backwards: http://www.screwfix.com/prods/13114...Pack-of-10;jsessionid=SLBBS4TPGAXK4CSTHZPCFFA)

Two or three plates are screwed to the back face of the outside edge of each upright, with the curved lug protruding. Small areas of plaster are chased out where the plates meet the wall, and the plates are screwed to the brickwork substrate. The plaster is then patched, giving an invisible fixing.

As to how you then fix the mantlepiece on top of the uprights, this depends very much on the design. But it's a matter you need to address before you fix the uprights to the wall, in case a fixing to the back of the uprights is required.

 

[Lime]

The fireplaces were nearly all originally fitted together using only plaster of paris stiffened with the odd wood block (not recommended) or leftover stone or slate on the inside joints and corners.
Ties and fixings to the sides were "glued" using plaster of paris also.
First the chimney fire back, hearth and metal fire insert holding the fire box, often with tiled sides, were put in.
Then, as has been said, the sides of the fireplace were stood and fixed against the wall (usually with nails but sometimes wire, screws or just a few big dollops of plaster of paris) with the cross panel and strip (directly above the fire opening) just sitting on the sides and acting as a spacer/separator.
Additional fixing to the back of the crossmember and sides was usually carried out through the top of the fireplace prior to the top shelf being put on.
This held it all together.
Once the sides and cross pieces were fitted to the wall the mantle shelf could be offered up in place.
It was balanced on top while a small amount of plaster of paris was put on where it would touch the wall and the shelf pushed into it and held for a short while.
The real support for this shelf was the lime plaster applied later directly above the shelf which prevented it tipping forward when weight was placed upon it.
It may seem horrifying to think that heavy shelves with all that was placed upon them were held in this way but it seems to have worked.
While plaster of paris may not appear very strong it adheres very well to stone surfaces and does not degrade either over time or in heat.
Damp wil destroy/weaken it.
If used "fresh" the plaster of paris will harden in minutes so parts may be held in place meanwhile.