Make your own fire surround?

Who told you this and who's supplying the backing and earth? ;-)

If it's an enclosed wall fire, don't think a hearth is required. If its a flame effect gas fire, you might. If needed, you can make your own. Just needs to be the correct dimensions and of a non-combustable material. You could use concrete. Simon.

Sorry. On re-reading my original post I see I've misled you. The replacement is a flame effect gas fire, not wall-mounted as before. I trust the engineer who told me that it needed padding out, particularly as the dividing wall is very thin and he's always been very trustworthy and reasonably-priced in the past. The quote is from a local one-man showroom about whom I'm a little dubious.

If it's an enclosed wall fire, don't think a hearth is required. If its a flame effect gas fire, you might. If needed, you can make your own. Just needs to be the correct dimensions and of a non-combustable material. You could use concrete. Simon.

I made my own superimposed hearth ( the bit at ground level you can see ) from travertine marble and cement. It required a diamond-type flat bed tile cutter to cut the marble, well, the vertical bits supporting the three main horizontal slabs which make up the bulk of the hearth. Will add a fire surround of more travertine marble later this year. I'm with Simon, as long as it's non-combsutible you can make your own. BTW I paid £650 for a hearth and fire surround in Italian oolitic limestone ( cheap stuff ) and tulip wood for my other fireplace.

Andy

must have needed a lot of tulips. (semismiley here) And for those that like but cant afford marble, terrazzo is cheap and pretty, and diyable.

NT