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FREE ESTIMATES IREDELL NC
INDOOR-FIREPLACES-STONE-BRICK REMODEL INSTALL
REPAIR FIREPLACES
Brick Fireplaces
Brick fireplaces come in
all shapes and sizes. So even if you don't want
a "traditional" looking fireplace, you may find
that the look and feel of brick is right for
you. One of the great things about brick is that
it can get old and beat up looking without
losing its charm. Many fireplace owners feel
that the aged look is part of that charm rather
than something that detracts from it. If
you've ever seen a brand new brick fireplace,
you may understand what they're talking about.
The brick is all shiny and new. It gleams. It
looks nice in a way, but it doesn't look
"natural." You feel as though you want to take
it through a season of fires to break it in.
Then it will look the way a brick fireplace
ought to look. Then it will have that patina
that adds warmth to the home even when there
isn't a fire going.....If you are
planning a renovation, remodeling or refacing of
your old interior Davidson NC stone brick
fireplace or construction of a new one, you've
come to the right place.
Stone Fireplaces
Keep in mind
that the stone used in a stone veneer fireplace
needs to be durable and not susceptible to heat
damage. Limestone, granite and dense
metamorphic rocks can stand up to heat with no
issues. Avoid soft rocks, slate or any other
rock that crumbles fairly easily. The inside of
the firebox should absolutely be built with hard
firebrick set in fireclay, not mortar. Mortar
used in between firebrick almost always crumbles
when subjected to the repeated heat of fires.
Fireclay is the preferred material as the joints
between the brick are small, and the fireclay
tends to vitrify with each fire.
ABOUT
FIREPLACES
A fireplace is an
architectural element consisting of a space
designed to contain a fire, generally for
heating but sometimes also for cooking. The
space where the fire is contained is called a
firebox, a chimney or other flue allows gas and
particulate exhaust to escape the building.
While most fireplaces are constructed in
building interiors, sometimes outdoor fireplaces
are created for evening warmth, outdoor cooking
or decorative purposes.
A fireplace may
consist of some or all of the following
elements: foundation, hearth, firebox, facing,
ash dump door, chimney crane, cleanout door,
grate or iron bars, lintel, lintel bar, over
mantle, breast, damper, smoke chamber, throat,
flue, chimney chase, crown, cap or shroud, and
spark arrestor.
TYPES OF
FIREPLACES
Masonry
(brick or stone fireplaces and chimneys) with or
without tile lined flue. Tiles are used to line
the flue to keep the corrosive combustion
products from eating away the chimney flue
lining.
Reinforced
Concrete Chimneys: Popular during the
1970s to 1980s. Fundamental flaws (the
difference in thermal expansion rates between
steel rebar and concrete which caused the
chimney flues to crack when heated) bankrupted
the US manufacturers and obsolete the technique.
This type of chimney often shows vertical cracks
on the exterior of the chimney which worsen as
the internal rebar rusts.
Manufactured or
'Prefab' fireplace with sheet metal
fire box and double or triple walled metal pipe
running up inside a wood framed chase with a
chase cover and cap/spark arrestor at the top to
keep birds out and sparks in. Within about one
hundred meters from salt water this type of
chimney is subject to rusting. Otherwise it's
competitive to the masonry chimney.
Fireplace
Installation
The homeowner wished to have a wood
burning 'Zero Clearance' fireplace
installed on this wall of their
livingroom. The trick here was to build
it in such a way so that the finished
face of the fireplace would be flush
with the existing wall. |
Here we see the exterior of the same
wall depicted above. |
After opening up the wall at the
desired location, we framed a rough
opening, complete with a header to
support the exterior wall where the old
studs were removed. Note that the new
framing members are kept a safe distance
off of the fireplace box. |
The bricks have been cut away and new
walls were framed up to enclose the
fireplace box. Further, a 'chase' was
built to cover the insulated steel
chimney. |
Once the framing was complete, we
proceeded to patch up the drywall. |
The drywall repairs were completed with
a coat of primer. The homeowner elected
to finish off the fireplace mantel and
paint at a later date. |
The exterior alterations were completed
with vinyl siding. |
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Here's a
picture of the completed fireplace mantel.
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