Fixing vertical gap in Victorian fireplace

[DanielWestern]

Hi all,

I am looking at cleaning up and refurbing a Victorian fireplace in my house. It's in pretty good condition, but one problem is that down each side of it there is a missing section, so there is a big vertical gap. See pictures attached to see what I mean. What would be the best way to fix this? I thought maybe a simple solution would be some expanding foam followed by some filler - I am going to paint some sections of it black anyway - but any other suggestions?

Daniel

 

[Cubist]

Safe to assume the outer surround and mantle are wood?

The problem with expanding foam is that it does not take colour too well and falls apart when you try to shape and smooth it. You may be better off packing the cavities with say some scrunched up stainless steel mesh (chicken wire) and using that as an armature to support a wood or epoxy filler that can then be sanded and painted.

 

[DanielWestern]

Thanks a lot for the reply!
No the surrounds are not wood, they are some kind of plaster/ceramic/concrete (not sure what!)
I didn't mean I would paint the expanding foam, merely just use it as a base to fill most of the cavity, and on that use a layer of filler (e.g. polyfilla) which I would sand down to be flush with the rest of the surround, and I would paint that. Which if I understand you correctly, isn't a million miles away from what you suggest, with the expanding foam taking the place of scrunched up steel mesh.
So would epoxy be a better candidate of filler than something like polyfilla in this case?

 

[Cubist]

Some epoxy fillers don't take dyes and stains very well but they do work well with most paints. Being unsure of the material used in the surround I would suggest you consider using a decorators caulking as a final filler. If you use expanding foam, be sure to excavate a cavity of circa 5mm to receive the filler.

 

[Stevers]

The surround looks like slate - and that's fairly typical. A black two part epoxy filler would be one option. It can be shaped with a wet spatula and would be a reasonable match for iron and slate.
This link and Milliputt are ones that I have personal experience of - no connection etc.

https://sylmasta.com/product/sylmasta-ab-epoxy-putty/

 

[DanielWestern]

Thanks a lot both for the suggestions. Will have a look into those.

 

[DanielWestern]

The epoxy looks good. I already have quite a lot of polyfilla though so in the interests of saving money, would it be a reasonable thing to use instead? Or would that be a bad idea?

 

[Stevers]

Fire cement might be a better option than Polyfilla, both could be stained black. If you plan to use the fire then there are high temperature epoxy putties.

 

[DanielWestern]

Interesting, I've not heard of fire cement before. I don't plan on ever using the fireplace for fire. Would that be the only reason for using fire cement over something like polyfilla?

 

[a twig]

Fire cement is available in black - two birds one stone

 

[DanielWestern]

Once applied, can it be sanded smooth?

 

[a twig]

It can be tooled smooth when applying, it’s also available from vitcas in a caulk style tube and that comes out pretty smooth:

BFC - Black Fire Cement 1250°C

Black fire cement for both domestic and commercial applications, ideal for use on fire bricks, grates, flue pipes, boilers, and other areas exposed to extreme heat. It provides excellent adhesion to fire bricks, blockwork, stone, and clayware. Resistant to high temperatures up to 1250°C / 2280°F

shop.vitcas.com

When I’ve used the caulk style I’ve just tooled it afterwards in a similar way to how you do silicon or caulk

 

[a twig]

Interesting, I've not heard of fire cement before. I don't plan on ever using the fireplace for fire. Would that be the only reason for using fire cement over something like polyfilla?

I’ve definitely heard quite a few people rule out using the fire in the future and then change their minds down the line

For the sake of a few £ worth of fire cement why rule the option out?

 

[DanielWestern]

Fair point. Can fire cement be painted over?

 

[Stevers]

Fire cement is available in black - two birds one stone

Now that I didn't know!

 

[a twig]

Now that I didn't know!

For two years I drove past the front door of the VITCAS head office on my way to and from work, and inevitably because I’m sad like that “popped in” one day

 

[a twig]

Fair point. Can fire cement be painted over?

Yep it can, obviously the paint would be unlikely to survive any future usage of the fire unless you use high temperature stove / bbq paint though

 

[DanielWestern]

Ok thanks!

 

[paulc]

If you were to use expanding foam, it would be best applied using a gun - A nozzle from a tube of mastic helps to get deep in to crevasses.
Using a can with a tube on the end risks pumping too much foam in. This could push the surround away from the wall and possibly crack it. Another reason for not using expanding foam.

 

[Stevers]

Hard to judge from photos, but it could be that the iron fixings for the slate surround have rotted out (salts in chimneys etc.), and the whole thing is slowly coming away from the wall.

I'll get my coat....