Jointing stone fireplace components? - Plaster of paris?

[inwood]

Anyone know how to joint the pieces of a stone fireplace. GeoffP kindly gave me some details of a stone mason who's made a fantastic fireplace to my design. I now need to fix the four pieces together:

1. Piece to piece - perhaps by drilling holes and inserting metal rods bedded in plaster?
2. between pieces - bedding each stone onto the other - plaster of paris? - the fireplaces I've seen have a thin line of bedding material (mortar/plaster of paris?) between each piece.

Anyone any ideas?

I could upload a drawing/photo if it would help.

 

[Tom]

A photo or two would be good

Jaqy

 

[GeoffP]

Hi Daron,

Good to hear you’ve got your surround. Had to send mine back for some alterations but its ready next week.

Do you really want to join the pieces together? It’s going to be a hell of a weight to install in one piece. And I would think it will be difficult to get the joints exactly right.

Wouldn’t it be better to fit each piece individually and securely fix each one to the wall? That’s the way I fitted my last one and hopefully the new one.
If the upright supports are fitted correctly the top and shelf can be juggled around until they are spot on.

You should get the same effect and is less weight to move around.

GeoffP

 

[Lime]

The victorian marble or slate fireplaces were usually "glued" together using plaster of paris.
It is quite strong when used behind the stone (so it can't be seen) and placed as a triangular wedge of plaster (like a weld) on both pieces.
It has the advantage that it won't degrade except if wet....that is how to remove it.
Boots stock it.
Make sure it is fresh. It should go off (harden) in minutes so don't make too much.

 

[chuckey]

My victorian black slate fire surround was held together with plaster of paris. As the mantlepiece was too wide (it looked out of proportion to me) I disassembled it and cut of 2" of the rear of the mantlepiece and reaasembled it with araldite, painted the whole shebang matt white, it looks a lot better now.
I had a new fire surround made out of white limedstone and I was advised to bracket the uprights to the wall and the mantlepiece to the lintel. I foolishly did not use any bedding material and consequently suffered a small flake at a joint. Because of the whiteness, I was unhappy that I could not keep the bedding material off the exposed surfaces - bad mistake. Out of interest every component supplied has some sort manufacturing flaw on it!!
Frank