Advice For Plastering Fire Place Please

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Good morning and happy VE day everyone!

We are hoping to remodel the fire place in our new house as at looks bloody awful in our opinion.

It currently looks like this:

Current Finish.jpg


We want to drop the height, slap a nice bit of wood on the top, remove the protruding ledges and also reduce the size of the candle cubby-holes. When that is done we would like the front and sides of the brick surround plastered to give a sharp, clean finish, leaving the inset brick surround intact around the stove:

Planned Finish.jpg


I would like to do as much as I can myself, but will get a plasterer in to provide the final finish.

I have done a bit of research and think I should stick 2 layers of bonding coat on (first thick, 2nd to smooth), then get a pro in to make the final skim. Does this sound reasonable?

Two questions please:

1. Will it be difficult getting a plasterer to trust my work and just provide a quick finishing service?

2. Should I put metal edge beading on the corners?

Just for info btw, the brick does not get very hot. The flue juts outside close to the top of the stove as the house was built with a dedicated chimney stack on the side of the gable end, meaning very little heat is conducted into the wall (yes, the fire is very inefficient - wasn't us that stuck it in!).

All advice / criticism gratefully accepted!

Many thanks.
 
All due respect if a plasterer is coming in to provide the final finish you might aswell get him in to do the full job for what it's worth your fireplace is a feature so I would want it doing by a pro if f you was to knacker up the job by uneven or bumpy plastering a skim coat wont hide these imperfections I'm afraid
 
Good morning and happy VE day everyone!

We are hoping to remodel the fire place in our new house as at looks bloody awful in our opinion.

It currently looks like this:

View attachment 48935

We want to drop the height, slap a nice bit of wood on the top, remove the protruding ledges and also reduce the size of the candle cubby-holes. When that is done we would like the front and sides of the brick surround plastered to give a sharp, clean finish, leaving the inset brick surround intact around the stove:

View attachment 48937

I would like to do as much as I can myself, but will get a plasterer in to provide the final finish.

I have done a bit of research and think I should stick 2 layers of bonding coat on (first thick, 2nd to smooth), then get a pro in to make the final skim. Does this sound reasonable?

Two questions please:

1. Will it be difficult getting a plasterer to trust my work and just provide a quick finishing service?

2. Should I put metal edge beading on the corners?

Just for info btw, the brick does not get very hot. The flue juts outside close to the top of the stove as the house was built with a dedicated chimney stack on the side of the gable end, meaning very little heat is conducted into the wall (yes, the fire is very inefficient - wasn't us that stuck it in!).

All advice / criticism gratefully accepted!

Many thanks.
I.ll do it
 
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