Painting Old Brick Fireplace back.

[surreysteve]

Hiya

This is a follow up to my previous post "16c Fireplace - delicate renovation" end of last year. Progress has been slow due to various factors but we are now getting close to decoration.

We have repaired, rebuilt and re-pointed all of the brick pillars and fireplace surrounds using lime that could be recovered. This will all be left as natural brickwork.

However, the rear of both fireplaces are a complete mess of bricks from across the ages (+ mortar infill) and is not recoverable in my opinion. The bricks vary from small old clays to 1960s bricks in various layers.

I am therefore looking to paint over to create a more pleasing backdrop to the woodburner. I am intending to fill any obvious holes and clean bricks with Trisodium Phosphate to remove soot and other detritus. This will be followed by a coat of primer and likely topcoats a lightly coloured masonry paint.

Before I start would welcome any tips on best manufacturers products to use or alternatives or really any other comments on best way of doing this. The woodburner is sitting about a foot in from of this rear wall so assuming heat will not be a huge issue although I may get some sort of rear plate.

Have attached a picture that marks the area to be painted just in case it helps.

Cheers

Steve

 

[MatthewC]

What will you fill the holes with? Lime mortar? Is the other side of the fireplace an exterior wall? I would use something breathable like Earthborn clay paint; I have just used it on my hall/stairs/landing and am most pleased with the finish - I reckon it covers moinor imperfewctions well.

 

[malcolm]

From the photo I might be inclined to accept the various bodges and leave the mixed bricks and random render exposed behind the wood burner. Or perhaps try to chip off a bit of the render. The previous messing around gives quite a nice character. If it were me I would mess around even more and sort the failed arch into something that might work.

I didn't remove the soot from my smaller fireplace before the wood burner was installed and it just looks like someone installed a woodburner in a previously open fire. You could always soot up the ugly bits. I think paint over such a large area in an inglenook would look out of place.

 

[Zebra]

I don't know that I would be inclined to paint it either, but if that really were the best option, then definately do it in something which is breathable, and reversible without damage should it be preferred that way by someone in the future. I think that masonry paint would be inadvisable.

 

[surreysteve]

Thanks for comments.

There are actually two large inglenook fireplaces back to back in adjacent rooms with a common chimney block so no external walls. (Pics attached)

The pointing has all been done with lime mortar.

I do like the idea of breathable paint but was worried about it's ability to cover marks and blemishes. Maybe from comments so far this was unfounded?

I've attached some more recent pics and of both the fireplaces. I hope this helps give a better picture. The only bricks I intend painting are those at the rear of each fireplace. All other bricks at side, front and in pillars will be repointed with lime.

Steve

 

[88v8]

You've made a very nice job of that. Like the brick dwarf wall you built on the left.
And the little bit of steel you ran under the arch looks better now it's pointed in.
Be interesting to see what happens to the arch once it starts being heat-cycled.

When the fireplace is stacked both sides with logs you'll not see as much of the back.
Don't know how near you are to using the room, but I'd be inclined to use it as is for the winter, and then see if you still feel you want to paint it.
Easy to put paint on, not so easy to wish you hadn't.

Would then use something breathable. Even though it's not an outside wall, the fires are still standing on the earth and inevitably some damp will come up and could cause problems with modern paint.
Are you worried clay paint won't cover residual soot stains?

Again, doesn't have to be done in one hit. If you decide to paint, paint a little bit and see what happens. After all, painting is a job you can do any time, no need to hurry a decision.

One of our fireplaces is painted, as we inherited it.
The other isn't. The back is rather sooty, but then it is old and was a fireplace. And it's smaller and quite dark. Perhaps if it were larger I would be more inclined to try and clean it up.

The painted one has two lights behind the beam. A pleasant effect.

If you paint, the heat with your top-exit stove won't be an issue.

Ivor

 

[surreysteve]

Thanks... and like your fireplaces also. You posted the "sooty" one last time - and I personally prefer the painted one (But not by much)

Assuming I paint....I think I'm choosing between two breathable coverings - Clay (earthbornpaints.co.uk) or lime wash.

As mentioned I will clean as much soot off as possible using wire brush and Trisodium Phosphate (which I'm told is good). Obviously, I'll only be able to achieve so much however much prep - so I guess coverage is a factor? Which of the two do you feel would do a better job?

Cheers

Steve

 

[Flyfisher]

I'd be very hesitant to paint the brickwork - it always seems so irreversible, at least not without significant effort. I suppose limewash would be the least damaging in that respect.

When I first opened up our fireplace we had similar anxieties about 'perfecting' the newly revealed brickwork and considered replacing spalled bricks and repointing etc, but we were so slow to decide that we gradually got used to it in all its original glory. Also, as Ivor points out, once there are some log baskets or stacked wood in place then much of the fireplace is obscured anyway. I would certainly live with it for a while in a finished but unpainted state before making such a decision. If you do decide to paint then how about first lining the bricks with a sheet of plasterboard to give the appearance of a rendered wall? That would be easily reversible.

Here are a few pics of our fireplace:
Before . . .



With the plasterboard wall lining removed to reveal previous repairs after a chimney fire had destroyed the original bressumer . . .


After replacing the RSJ with a new oak beam and laying a new hearth . . .



. . . and in the next post (because of the three-picture-per-post limit) . . .

 

[Flyfisher]

. . . the finished result:



The exposed brickwork has been left literally untouched, save for brushing down with a stiff brush. It helps, of course, that the original builders went to the trouble of creating the herringbone panel, which I think would be ruined by painting.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

. . . the finished result:



The exposed brickwork has been left literally untouched, save for brushing down with a stiff brush. It helps, of course, that the original builders went to the trouble of creating the herringbone panel, which I think would be ruined by painting.

I totally agree-the --- herring bone brick work is fantastic and definitely best left unpainted.

 

[MatthewC]

Sadly the OP's fireplaces don't have such nice herring-bone brickwork and from his pictures I can understand why he wants to cover them up!

Steve - I've got a couple of part used 100ml sample tins of Earthborn clay paint which I could provide for the cost of the postage - PM me.

 

[surreysteve]

What a lovely fireplace to find behind that little brick one. Looks really nice.

I think your rear brickwork is considerably nicer than mine. There are at least 4 types of bricks and infill in mine - lot has happened over 450 years :-( I actually removed a small modern brick wall that was hiding it when we stripped back. I can see why now.

The important thing is that I have a lot of nice brickwork on the sides and in the pillars which will come up nicely.

Steve

 

[mims&pip]

Flyfisher's is wonderful and it definitely would have been a shame to paint over his fantastic brickwork, but then you have some equally handsome detailing in your arch (f/p number 1) and hearth of f/p number 2, Steve

In our new (much more recent 1850s) house we have a small stone f/p with herringbone brickwork fitted when the house was extended in Arts & Crafts style in the 1920s. Although considerably less historic it would again be a pity to cover this and I'm so pleased the previous owner resisted doing this!

We had a similar mis-match of brick types/sizes/ugly mortar infill in an inglenook at our last house, but then the PO had Disneyfied the whole fireplace - no, in fact make that the whole house - so we had no qualms in fitting a reclaimed period oak surround and hanging wallpaper* :roll:

*Although we left the internal brickwork unpainted as - as previously mentioned - the piles of logs/log baskets/other fireplace necessaries soon disguised this

Mims x