Fitting a cast iron fireplace insert

[Sean Inglis]

We're pulling the living room to pieces, and have had the whole lot replastered. In the process we removed a wooden fireplace surround and cast iron/tiled fireplaces insert. Although we want to reuse the insert, the surround was awful, with pieces of architrave tacked on to hide gaps down the side.

I didn't give this much thought, but it looks as if this has been done because the insert should really have been set into the hearth. As is it, it doesn't stand flush against the wall (about 1 - 1.5 " away).

What are the options to make this right?

I'm a bit reluctant to start destroying the plastering on the hearth to fit the insert, but I can't see many alternatives. It seems as if *some* surrounds have an adjustable rebate of 1" to 3", so it might be possible just to "pin" the insert in place with the surround, but I feel like thats a bit of a, well, crap solution.

[Mark]

Not sure if I understand properly, the plastered hearth threw me. If you get a pine surround the inner part of the legs and cross piece can be rebated to suit and the outer part goes flush to the wall.

mark

[Sean Inglis]

That's probably because my terms are all over the shop :-)

I meant I didn't want to remove the new plastering on the chimney breast if I can help it. The cast iron insert, similar to this:

't fit flush to the chimney breast, it protrudes with a gap p ~1.5" -

2" all round. I'm trying to avoid having to remove new plaster to allow the insert to sink into the wall so that the insert surround lies flat against it.

[Richard Perkin]

Sean Inglis wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It's best if the cast insert is fastened to the brickwork - which as you suggest, would involve removing the plaster.

However, you need the surround to fit snugly against the cast. Generally the surround will have a rebate to allow this - but a side effect may be that when the surround is fitted up to the cast there is a gap between the wall and the cast (I assume this is the 1.5" -

2" you mention). You can fill this gap with bonding coat, which will not only fill the gap but also form a smokeproof seal.

Find info here:

which should give some clues.

Hope this helps

[Sean Inglis]

Thanks to Richard and Mark. I've talked it through a local fireplace company, and they said that although they recommend a tie to the bricks and setting it into the plaster, it can be done appropriately adjusting the rebate and filling in with the correct materials. We need a made-to-measure surround anyway, and they said they'd make any necessary adjustments in one go, at no extra cost.

Cheers

Sean