Fireplace query

[Athers1971]

Hi, I was wondering if we have any fireplace experts in the group (or anyone with a view actually!) that could provide some thoughts on our main fireplace.

I'm fortunate to have found some photos from around 1979 I think and this particular one shows what it looked like at that time:



So in the proceeding 40 years the next and PO 'intervened' and this is what we have now:



As far as I can tell the surround is sandstone. Not sure what the material used to blacken the lower parts is. Not sure why there are two colours on the fire surround top, could there have been something attached here like a mantlepiece, though that feels it would have been quite high at just under 6ft?

Then we have the beam above and the heavily cemented pointing to the stonework.

The tiles run into the hearth, i.e. there is no hearth stone.

The stonework at the rear looks really odd - what have they done? It's not pointed, have they removed it and rebuilt it? It's level with the 60cm wall that separates the house from the stable. There is an inspection chamber in the stable at ground floor level.

Any thoughts of age, origination, how to clean up the sandstone, remove the 'black', what to do with the 'wall' etc would be much appreciated! Or just what would you do with it? The plan is to get a new wood burning stove installed with a hearth etc and I guess plaster/point the stonework.

TIA

 

[a twig]

First things first those stoves are worth a fortune so don’t bin it - at least if it is not your taste sell it on eBay

That stone looks to have just been packed in dry, could just point it up and NHL plaster it if you are sticking with a wood burner.

Looks like black paint - a poultice style paint stripper should do the job. The fireplace in the old photo is definitely not original so no great loss, what you have is much nicer.

A light scraping/sanding will bring the top stone back to one colour, looks like a shelf or something was fixed there in the past which causes the two tone.

Personally I would just chip off the cement pointing above and lime plaster the breast down to the top of the sandstone, clean up the stone surround via stripping and mechanical means, point and plaster the back of the hearth and leave the tiles - job done.

Then if you want a more modern woodburner you will need a larger flue so a fairly big job

 

[a twig]

Just to qualify my stove comments - it looks like a Godin, if it is then those go for ~£900 second hand if in good nick

 

[a twig]

Oh and one other thought, given the knocking about that has been done to the chimney breast, if that cement above turns out to be mortar rather than just pointing, then cut your losses and just plaster over the whole thing with an NHL2 based plaster

 

[Athers1971]

First things first those stoves are worth a fortune so don’t bin it - at least if it is not your taste sell it on eBay

That stone looks to have just been packed in dry, could just point it up and NHL plaster it if you are sticking with a wood burner.

Looks like black paint - a poultice style paint stripper should do the job. The fireplace in the old photo is definitely not original so no great loss, what you have is much nicer.

A light scraping/sanding will bring the top stone back to one colour, looks like a shelf or something was fixed there in the past which causes the two tone.

Personally I would just chip off the cement pointing above and lime plaster the breast down to the top of the sandstone, clean up the stone surround via stripping and mechanical means, point and plaster the back of the hearth and leave the tiles - job done.

Then if you want a more modern woodburner you will need a larger flue so a fairly big job

Amazing what fireplaces were blocked up in the 20th century!

Yeah, it is a Godin, a "belle époque" I think - not to our taste, but the apparently the PO's pride and joy! Each to their own. That said. everyone who sees it loves it. Definitely look to sell as appreciate there is some value to it.

I wasn't sure a poultice stripper would work as the paint would have soaked into the porous sandstone - suppose we can buy some try a test strip and see. I wonder if the top stone had previously been painted and stripped too and this was the result. I guess the lighter area where the shelf or whatever was fixed is probably the closest to the natural stone look that we would be looking to achieve. Would like to lighten it and the room up a bit.

We'd like to leave the beam visible above and so would plaster around that. Picking my battles, not sure there would be any benefit of removing too much of that cement mortar/pointing and if we can just lime plaster over the top.

Are you suggesting we just leave the stonework behind alone and simply lime plaster over it, or do you think it would be worth exploring why they have done what they have before we plaster over?

The sides look horrendous, what was wrong with people???? Also there is some surviving lime - just under the beam in pic below.

Looking closely, I think they left the 'cat' in place after stripping around it.

 

[a twig]

If you are prepared to manage the dust, an angle grinder with a vanity disc and applying very light pressure will be the quickest way to clean it up. Up to you if you want to keep the cat

Totally empathise on picking the battles, an NHL 2 based plaster will adhere fine and if there are no existing damp issues then no worries.

If you have concerns then maybe pull a stone or two out and take a look / stick a camera through, but if it all seems solid then again in the spirit of picking battles, I would look to just point up the stone work to make sure it isn’t going anywhere and then plaster.

Yep sides aren’t great and definitely worth hiding with plaster!

 

[Stevers]

Caustic Soda may be another option to strip the paint and clean the stone. I used a 5% mix on Doulting Stone and used a wirebrush in small circular motion to lift the softened paint and soot. Doulting Stone although a limestone looks much like sandstone. Care needs to be taken with caustic soda - so read up on the dangers and wear protective clothing.
https://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/threads/basement-chimney-breast.17787/post-241196