General restoration advice!

[spoonymonki]

Ahoy there fire fellows!

Am new to this so go gently ... or not ;O) I'm sure the answers are lurking in other posts but it would be helpful to have opinions specific to the pictures I'm posting.

We've recently moved into a 1930's house which has an original (but not contemporary) 1884/1885 Victorian fire place ... according to the Rd mark.

At the moment it's rigged up with a bodge job gas feed which we will strip out as we want to convert it to an open solid fuel fire (i.e. not a stove).

Anyway, a few questions if I may.

I've been told the slate hearth (picture attached) needs to be ripped out as it's a solid piece and will crack when we start burning logs. Seems a shame .. will this likely happen? It's been suggested that sections granite would be a better option.

If not, there's a stain we've managed to get on it from a plant pot ... any ideas how we can get rid of it?!

The fireplace itself is supposed to be black but in parts it appears red as if the black covering has worn away (picture attached). Is that normal and what can I use to return it to it's original blackness? I assume if I use something like boot polish it will mark anything which touches (fingers, clothes etc!) it so perhaps there's a better product.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any comments and I take my punishment (also in advance) for any errors!

Spoon

 

[Beer Belly]

I'm no expert, so what I'm giving is just my opinion. First off....that fireplace is beautiful....like a piece of art...I'd hate to do anything to take away from it. I do believe that the slate would crack from the hot wood fires...we had an outdoor BBQ pit we tried burning wood in, and it had some slate to it that cracked once the fire got going

 

[jharkin]

That is a coal fireplace. I,d be careful getting a blazing wood fire going until you are sure the flue will draft well enough for it. Btw do you know how that got into the house? Was it salvaged from a Victorian tear down?

 

[Beer Belly]

That is a coal fireplace. I,d be careful getting a blazing wood fire going until you are sure the flue will draft well enough for it. Btw do you know how that got into the house? Was it salvaged from a Victorian tear down?

I did notice it isn't too deep, I was wondering if it could be used for wood also.

 

[spoonymonki]

Thanks all ... that's really useful. Will be getting a sweep round to clean and integrity check the chimney so will definitely ask for advice re the draft / draw.

I've no idea how it got to be in the house, the room was last decorated 20 years or so ago I believe ... the previous owners put up dado rails etc so I suspect they were trying to create a Victorian style room. Fire places seem to go in and out of fashion and sadly many are ripped out and discarded ... could well have been a salvage job.

 

[tcassavaugh]

beautiful stove. just wondering are those stones in the fire pit.....or spuds? if its gas, and made for gas, it probably won't tolerate the wood heat. if it was for coal, it should be ok as i think coal burns hotter. so it should be ok with with wood as far as temperatures go but the draft might be an issue as mentioned earlier. stove black/paint would probably restore your areas there the color has gone. good luck on your resteration its a beautiful piece.

cass

 

[webby3650]

I believe you have a coal fireplace there. If all in the flue is well, you should be able to burn wood just fine. The iron parts that you see, including the coal basket, will need to stay intact, so the slate hearth won't be an issue. I suppose, if this is a retrofit/renovation, there is a chance there is a traditional fireplace behind that beauty. Do you have any access to coal? It might be cool to try it with coal or maybe peat.

 

[spoonymonki]

#tcassavaugh ... not spuds! They're the gas bricks but I'm pretty sure they are spent.

It being a coal fire would make sense as the house is 1930's so I imagine there would have been regular deliveries in those days. No coal cellar though which is a shame!

I'm sure I can get hold of some coal although we have a large garden and felled several trees back in the Autumn so I had hoped to burn those once they'd sufficiently dried. They won't last for ever of course so coal will be an option in the future.

The gas fitting (photo below) needs to come out and we'll need to get a new grate but I agree the main front can stay as I assume it's part of the original.

I'll need to patch up the broken bricks where the pipe has been installed but I suspect that's easier enough.

 

[tcassavaugh]

#tcassavaugh ... not spuds! They're the gas bricks but I'm pretty sure they are spent.

:lol: didn't really think so, but looked like you might have been using it for a storage bin.

cass