Cutting to clean a sandstone fireplace

[YEWStuart]

First of all, this is my first post on this forum, I have used the search facility a number of times as I moved into a period property exactly one year today. I am celebrating by posting my first question.

The fireplace has been sandblasted or the modern equivalent, I took care in choosing someone who knew what they were doing and I think they did a great job as it had been painted and was also covered with some sort of either thick glue or varnish, it could not be cleaned by hand. The interior was full of bricks to take a Victorian fireplace, the bricks filled a trailer and was over a ton of bricks, that was some mammoth task to remove..

Above the sandstone fireplace is a lintel for want of a better word, this was not cleaned as damage occurred just from overspray from the main facia. To have sanded it with a power tool would have lost all of the shape and the craftsman did not want to continue.

Here is the question, "given it has been painted black in the past and the paint has penetrated to a depth of around 5mm, what power tool is realistic to use to skim off the surface or should I consider another way of improving it? Happy to improve and then apply some suitable paint as a cover though I start the penetration again.

I have tried three times to get this picture the right way up, for those using a laptop, it should be ok, for those on an ipad, please lock your rotating screen

 

[Keith Bowman]

What a superb fireplace. If it were mine I would leave the timber lintel alone - it's not garish red paint, just a part of the history of the house. Leaving it alone is also cheaper and easier...... It will be interesting to see what others think

 

[noj]

Welcome!

But please don't try and grid away its history. It looks great and full of character as it stands.

If you like the shape but not the colour then paint or limewash it, If you want smooth and shiny then just clad it in MDF and paint that, leaving the original fabric intact behind IMHO

It always amazes me that properties of such age and features aren't listed either - more pictures please.

 

[mims&pip]

Hi and welcome!

Super fireplace If it were mine - we were not as fortunate in our previous Tudor and Georgian houses, but had to put fireplaces etc back as they had long gone - I would leave the timber as is. It is part of the building's history imho.

Good luck with the rest of your project and look forward to seeing more pics!

Mims x

 

[YEWStuart]

Hello to all and thanks for the welcome.

It is Grade II listed and is made of sandstone not timber, the limewash is the way we are thinking of going. My issue was the shape will be lost if hacked away hence the dilemma. What you will also see in the picture is the replacement of the pine joists and good kiln dried oak in its place. Looks so much better as the PO had sandblasted the pine beams and they were ridged and did not match the rear oak.

I also had the beam lifted as the roof must have been raised and the joists were sat on the beam rather than in it. It then had a strip of pine to cover up the original cut outs. More pics to follow.

 

[YEWStuart]

For those who want to see more.

First of all the pine wood lengths were removed from each side of the main beam. This revealed that the joists were resting on top of the beam rather than in it.



Then the rear oak beams that were staying were found to be not in line with the cut outs so the floor had to come out. This cost more but saved cutting more out of the main beam.



The beam was then lifted when all old and new joists were in line, as you can see from the original picture, the front have been replaced with oak rather than the pitch pine that was there.



then we patched up the gap with some oak I had lying around





And this is what it looks like now, we are close to finishing the room now and can move back in after a few months on none use. The log burner has been keeping the place warm though.

 

[Roger H]

Hi.

Just for clarity, you are talking about the cornice structure sitting above the massive lintel and below the timber joists? What material is it? I'd assumed stone but Mims etc seem to think timber...

Great fireplace though.

 

[Flyfisher]

Lovely fireplace.

However, It has clearly suffered from lots of wear and tear over the years and is no longer doing justice to the craftsmen who originally made it. I appreciate that 'old and knackered' is a fashionable genre these days (e.g. wobbly plaster on walls and ceilings) but I'm sure it's not what the original craftsmen would have intended.

I've no experience of stone masonry, but I'd be inclined to seek the opinion of a professional stonemason about how it might be 'refreshed'. Not necessarily with the aim of making it look brand spanking new, but perhaps cleaning up the stone and possibly 'sharpening up' the carved features - the sort of thing that is frequently done to our old historic stone buildings and churches etc.

Ultimately the choice will be personal, but there's no harm in exploring all the options.

 

[mims&pip]

Hi.

Just for clarity, you are talking about the cornice structure sitting above the massive lintel and below the timber joists? What material is it? I'd assumed stone but Mims etc seem to think timber...

Great fireplace though.

Tbh, on taking a second, closer look I think you're most probably correct Roger :?

 

[a twig]

I use something along the lines of this when cleaning up and dressing back stonework:
http://www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/gpo-14-ce-25798-ocs-p/

Not too high a speed, light pressure, a fine grit diamond pad and a flexible backing pad should do the trick.

 

[Mickey]

Hi,

Lovely fireplace, lucky lucky you. I'm presuming since it's listed that you have had LBC for these works, what did your CO advise re best methodology for cleaning the fireplace? I'm not sure if strippers of Sudbury as were can recommend something suitable for stripping, drawing out paint from sandstone, I'd agree you don't want to be losing any more of the original finish/structure and if in any doubt I'd just leave it all as it is rather than risk damaging further and I'm not sure whether these type of fireplaces would have been lime washed although I guess it would be the most sympathetic finish option.

All the best with it.
Mickey

 

[YEWStuart]

Hi,

Lovely fireplace, lucky lucky you. I'm presuming since it's listed that you have had LBC for these works, what did your CO advise re best methodology for cleaning the fireplace? I'm not sure if strippers of Sudbury as were can recommend something suitable for stripping, drawing out paint from sandstone, I'd agree you don't want to be losing any more of the original finish/structure and if in any doubt I'd just leave it all as it is rather than risk damaging further and I'm not sure whether these type of fireplaces would have been lime washed although I guess it would be the most sympathetic finish option.

All the best with it.
Mickey

Hello Mickey

When I contacted the Council about repairing the outside timber frame they said as it was repairing and not changing anything then I did not need to register this with them, based on that response I took the fireplace back to its original state, I think it looks better for it.

 

[YEWStuart]

given the support on here I am keeping the cornice 'as is'

It is the only element of the interior to be noted, how did they miss the great big piece of sandstone below?