When you’re doing any living room renovations or any other specific home improvements a handyman it is of the utmost importance to know exactly what it is that you’re required to safely do the job. When installing a stone fireplace it is important to do so safely, otherwise there will be quite the need for a house relocation – and the least you deal with house movers, the best. So do realize that all pieces of the fireplace will be heavier than a wooden fireplace or other materials.
You will be needing several things in order to properly fit a stone fireplace, so get a removal van and start collecting the ingredients to the perfect fireplace: Builder’s felt, metal lath, mortar, a notched trowel, a grinder, a brick hammer, and a bag you can use for grouting joints.
1st: You will need to cover the surrounding area of the fireplace where the stone will sit using builder’s felt, starting at the bottom of the fireplace and working to the top, overlapping the pieces by roughly 5 centimetres as the backing for the mortar you will be using soon.
2nd: Take the metal lath, begin nailing it in place with the cups facing upward so that the mortar will be caught once it is applied.
3rd: Cover the wall with veneer mortar and allow it to sit for roughly 20 minutes before combing it out with a notched trowel. Let the mortar sit overnight to dry.
4th: Create your design for the stones on canvas, allowing for a finger-width of space between stones as you stagger the stones of different sizes to give the fireplace a unique look.
5th: Score the cornerstones with a grinder along the cut line then strike them with a brick hammer in order to get the corner pieces set properly for your working.
6th: When installing the first pieces start on the header above the opening of the fireplace, placing them properly as you work your way down the sides of the opening, the surround, and then the field of the fireplace.
7th: Spray the back side of each stone with water before coating it in the mortar, use the trowel to score a furrow in the mortar, then press each piece in place, wiggling it in order to seal it to the scratch coating.
8th: When all pieces are placed how you want them, use a striking tool and a whisk broom to clean the joints between stones before letting the mortar cure overnight.
9th: The next day grout the joints using the veneer mortar squeezed through a bag, allow it to cure for roughly one hour before shaping and brushing them to give them a natural look.
And there you have it – the perfect fireplace. If everything went well, when you light the fire you should be feeling warmth and joy. If not… well, no moving company will hold it against you. So get moving and do try to do a proper job.
