Fire surround; can't use wood.

[ilikecobwebs]

Back in September last year I posted a message about our living room fireplace surround, which had been built out of natural stone and oak timbers by the previous owner. For those who didnt read it, the house is 1870's and the original fireplace was done away with years ago by earlier owners.
The decision to knock the stone out or keep it has still not been made. Since that posting, we have now been told that we cannot use a wooden Victorian surround because it will be too near the logburner, which was installed some 30 years ago in the original (but considerably enlarged) opening.

It would be a combustible material, of course, although all our other neighbours have wooden surrounds and open or log fires. Our other difficulty lies in the fact that the logburner is rather too far forward in the opening and thus would come within 18" of any fireplace surround (we were told). The logger, unfortunately, cannot be moved backwards any further.

The only thing we've been advised to consider as a possibility is a plain and relatively unadorned Victorian surround copy made of stone. I'm happy for it to be plain and unadorned, but stone? (Limestone). The pictures I've seen look far too white (Acquisitions is the company), and the original fireplace would surely never have been stone.

I'm really stuck now as to what to do for the best. I could keep what we've got, but it's not attractive or appropriate. If it's knocked out, we can't replace with wood. If we want wood, then the logburner has to go. And so on. Anyone got any additional thoughts on top of those from the last post?

 

[Nemesis]

We stack logs right next to our woodburner. Although there have been odd recorded cases, they haven't caught fire yet.

 

[NT]

Council on the case?

If intumescent paint on wood is not acceptable, and you wanted painted wood, painted stone could imitate it. You could even engage in the genuine Victorian art of faking a wood finish with paint.

Otherwise its all the other options, stone, crete, tiled, painted metal, etc etc.


NT

 

[ilikecobwebs]

We were told that we couldnt replace with a wooden surround due to building regulations, because the logburner would create too much heat and the surround might catch fire. I didnt really grasp that thinking at the time....and we also have some logs stacked right next to the burner on occasions (drives out the damp and the resistant woodlice). They've never caught fire, either, so I can't see why we were put off.
I confess I'd never heard of intumescent paint so I had to go and look it up.
That means we could possibly have a wooden surround made and then paint it or treat it with the stuff?

 

[andrew gayton]

I have a submarine sized wood burner next to both a wooden surround and piles of logs.... neither have caught fire..... i would suggest that as long as the inner edge abutment of surround and walling is sealed, then there would certainly not be a problem ever.... think of the cake mixture in the paper cup in the oven........ the main problem is that paint finish can suffer. no problem. nanny state blah.

 

[ilikecobwebs]

Dont talk to me about nanny states at the moment, I'm currently having a gut-full of it in other areas of life, that's why I'm suffering from detail-itis.

 

[andrew gayton]

a certain latin phrase springs to mind....................

 

[andrew gayton]

That means we could possibly have a wooden surround made and then paint it or treat it with the stuff?


yes....... exactly.

 

[Mark]

I have an oak beam in front of a steel lintel in a fireplace with a woodburner. It overhangs the lintel and is in a possition that in theory shouldnt have a wooden beam.

I got some fireproof board and lined the back of the beam with it. No problems.

I am told that the ideal is to have the fireproof board separated from the wood by an air gap - so a few bits of fireproof board could be used to make spacers.

 

[biffvernon]

I have an oak beam in front of a steel lintel.

Funny thing is that steel lintels can fail sooner than oak beams in a fire

 

[Penners]

Your objection to a stone surround seems only to be that it would be too white. Stone comes in all kinds of colour, including black marble, and used a lot be the Victorians.

Why not have a trawl around your local architectural reclamation yards? You might find just the thing.

 

[Moo]

And look at the site recommended by Nemesis (heavy hint) to see some examples of the styles typical of the period.

 

[ilikecobwebs]

Stone it may have to be; I just wanted to get a feel from this forum as to whether it would be an acceptable route (and material) to take. It does seem favourable. So.....on with the homework and with thanks for all the input.

 

[biffvernon]

I wonder if a house fire has ever been caused by a woodburner being set in a fire place with a wood surround.

 

[Nemesis]

I doubt it! But many Vic surrounds were made of slate, painted to look like wood or marble.