Options for undersized insert trim kit

[daveespo]

I am considering the Jotul C350 Wood Insert to provide evening/weekend heat in my family room and kitchen areas (500-700sq ft)

My fireplace opening is too large for even the "large" trim kit (my opening is 35"Wx31"H) so I will need a filler panel of some sort on the top (cast iron trim kit for Jotul C350 is 37"Wx27.5"H; the "large" trim kit is 40"Wx30"H)

I was wondering if anyone has come up with a creative way to fill this area aside from just a sheet of black painted steel or aluminum?

One option I came up with was to purchase some decorative ceramic tiles (4" tall) and mount them on a strip of Durock and screw it to the steel lintel using some L brackets

 

[Hogwildz]

You could do that. You could also build the fireplace floor up with durock or stone or such so that you now have enough height for the insert surround. Then tile the bottom in, or use a pc of steel painted black to match the insert to blend in.

 

[TresK3]

Can you post a picture of the current set-up? There are lots of creative people here who would love to weigh in.

 

[daveespo]

Thank you for the reply. Here are the pictures ... Obviously, without the insert

This link is to a sample of what the Jotul looks like ... I'd basically need a 4" filler panel above the surround to reach the 31" height of my firebox

(broken link removed to http://tinyurl.com/ypguo5)

 

[MrGriz]

I would second the idea of raising the insert up on fire bricks and facing the bottom. You could either use a piece of metal to match the surround, or some rock or stone veneer to match the existing.

 

[daveespo]

I love Photoshop ... and I think I agree with you both on raising the insert up and filling beneath it ...

 

[Gooserider]

It may just be me, or the perspective of the photos, but it looks like that fireplace doesn't have much (if any) hearth sticking out in front of it - If so you should plan on building some sort of extension so as to get the code required 18" minimum clearance in front of the loading doors...

Gooserider

 

[daveespo]

Yeah, it's the perspective of the picture. The hearth is 20" wide.

I have been playing with using some gray concrete retaining wall blocks that I have leftover from a garden project to build up the floor of the fireplace the 4 or 5" I need ... The color isn't a spot-on match but it's pretty good ... The one thing I'm concerned with is matching the mortar color of the existing stone. Any tips on coloring concrete? Also, is anything special required for the mortar mix since it's in proximity to high heat? Or will a bag of Quikrete sand mix do the job?

 

[elkimmeg]

what about a trip to home depot and purchase a 2/6 metal stud cut to length

Hight heat black paint and attach it to the top of the opening with tapcons

 

[Gooserider]

what about a trip to home depot and purchase a 2/6 metal stud cut to length

Hight heat black paint and attach it to the top of the opening with tapcons

That would work Elk, but I think the OP wants to boost the stove up rather than lower the top of the opening - thinks it would look better that way. If you go up a couple of posts they have some photoshopped experiments showing it each way, and I tend to agree that the raise the stove approach looks better from a cosmetic standpoint...

So if he wants to do that, anything special he needs to do in building up the floor? The original firebox would still be there, so presumably as long as whatever he puts inside it should be fine as long as its non-combustible, right?

Would the concrete wall blocks work for the floor? Would they take the heat coming through the floor of the insert, or should he use something else? What?

Any suggestions for making the mortar color match the existing mortar?

I would suggest going to a masonry or tile supply house and try to bring a sample of the existing mortar chipped from someplace inconspicuous and see if they can suggest a solution. I know they make dies that get mixed into mortar, but I'm not sure how precise they can do color matching and so forth. You might be better off trying to do a totally contrasting filler peice, that way it looks like a deliberate "design statement" instead of an after the fact modification.

Gooserider

 

[begreen]

I like the idea of concrete half-width (4" thick) blocks as the fireplace floor build up. If they are covered with a sheet of fitted 24 or 22 ga metal, there should be no heat problem and the stove will have a nice surface to slide in on.