Fireplace Rendering

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cornsack

cornsack

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Hi all,

Am quoting for doing a fireplace/chimney breast for a customer in an old solid-wall terraced cottage. He is going to be having a log-burner installed so need to use something that can withstand the heat. I'm looking at 3 options really but hoping for some advice on each from anyone with experience:

1. Victas render and finishing plaster.
This has been recommended to the customer and I have seen recommended by many fireplace installers. However a lot of these recommendations look to me to be sponsored by Victas. I like the idea of it being a fail-safe option but I did a search on here and saw some of you saying it's a horrible product to work with and some saying it's impossible to get a good finish on. Is it really that bad? Can anyone shed any light?

2. Bauwer light and finish.
Have been wanting to try this product for ages now and this would be a good size to make a start on. Spoke to a guy on the phone at Bauwer who said it's not specifically for this purpose but said he knows many plasterers have used it effectively. Anybody have experience using it for this? If not just curious anyway how long to leave it between base coat and finishing coat? How long does the 2 coat finishing system take from mixing up to final trowel? Couldn't find much advice on this online.

3. Sand, cement and lime render.
No doubt all the old-schoolers will vote for this one. I would probably look to leave the inside of the fireplace as a rubbed up rendered finish and then set over the rest of the chimney breast in multi-finish. Haven't worked with lime in years and even then it was breif as a labourer. How long does it take from first application to being ready for rubbing up generally? How long would I need to leave the outside of the fireplace (scratched up) before I can set over it? How long between scratch coat and top coat?

Have attached a photo. Backgrounds a mixture of brickwork, lintel and some render on the inside (which I may hack off)

Any advice much appreciated!
 

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None of the above. D&d firmacell power panels then point your joins up with fire cement or pva and skim. If the manufacturers distances from the log burner are adhered to then you won’t have a problem with the skim blowing
 
Only thing is those distances might be hard to maintain if dot and dabbing. Customer said manufacturers spec said no boards and definitely no skim as well. Not my spec but keen to use one of the above methods anyway for practice if nothing else
 
You can stick Hardiebacker with tile adhesive, pretty sure it says on their website it's fire rated.
 
Seem to remember seeing @Rigsby , @Squarehead , @theclemo , @vfr12 talk about using Bauwer before. Any experience using around a fireplace? Or answers about general timing questions? If not on this job I've been really keen to use the stuff for a while anyway. This would be a good size job to start on rather than starting on a whole period house!
 
Tinytom said:
None of the above. D&d firmacell power panels then point your joins up with fire cement or pva and skim. If the manufacturers distances from the log burner are adhered to then you won’t have a problem with the skim blowing
Click to expand...

Disagree about skimming it off at that distance!

Id opt for victas boards and just cut neat and just caulk up the internal angles and either tile or paint direct personaly.
 
zombie said:
Disagree about skimming it off at that distance!

Id opt for victas boards and just cut neat and just caulk up the internal angles and either tile or paint direct personaly.
Click to expand...
I’m on one now I’ll be skimming it tomorrow, done loads mate I’m a hetas registered fitter never had a single call back
 
Tinytom said:
I’m on one now I’ll be skimming it tomorrow, done loads mate I’m a hetas registered fitter never had a single call back
Click to expand...

Fair play better qualified than me to comment!

Ive even had their victas skim crack on me!

Thats why id avoid skimming them and would just caulk up the internals thats also how the plumber that does them all on our job leaves and likewise hes an registered installer.
 
Tinytom said:
None of the above. D&d firmacell power panels then point your joins up with fire cement or pva and skim. If the manufacturers distances from the log burner are adhered to then you won’t have a problem with the skim blowing
Click to expand...
I am genuinely interested why scrap all of the above and go for boarding and skim, which I actually wouldn’t recommend tbh. ?
 
cornsack said:
Seem to remember seeing @Rigsby , @Squarehead , @theclemo , @vfr12 talk about using Bauwer before. Any experience using around a fireplace? Or answers about general timing questions? If not on this job I've been really keen to use the stuff for a while anyway. This would be a good size job to start on rather than starting on a whole period house!
Click to expand...
I personally have never used Bauwer on fireplaces, but if you do let us know . That will be interesting. What I can tell you is Bauwer will resist the heat like nothing else, but not sure for the expansion tho.
 
vfr12 said:
I am genuinely interested why scrap all of the above and go for boarding and skim, which I actually wouldn’t recommend tbh. ?
Click to expand...
Because you can get the job done in an hour, if you don’t skim your guaranteed no cracks if you do skim as long as there’s a good gap around the fire you’ll be fine.
I fit my own fires too so if it’s too big for the opening it’s either made bigger, smaller stove or not fitted
 
Bauwer is very light but for fireplaces?

I have some some render for when they make electric furnaces. Heaviest stuff ever! But I wouldn’t know about skimming it.
 
cornsack said:
Hi all,

Am quoting for doing a fireplace/chimney breast for a customer in an old solid-wall terraced cottage. He is going to be having a log-burner installed so need to use something that can withstand the heat. I'm looking at 3 options really but hoping for some advice on each from anyone with experience:

1. Victas render and finishing plaster.
This has been recommended to the customer and I have seen recommended by many fireplace installers. However a lot of these recommendations look to me to be sponsored by Victas. I like the idea of it being a fail-safe option but I did a search on here and saw some of you saying it's a horrible product to work with and some saying it's impossible to get a good finish on. Is it really that bad? Can anyone shed any light?

2. Bauwer light and finish.
Have been wanting to try this product for ages now and this would be a good size to make a start on. Spoke to a guy on the phone at Bauwer who said it's not specifically for this purpose but said he knows many plasterers have used it effectively. Anybody have experience using it for this? If not just curious anyway how long to leave it between base coat and finishing coat? How long does the 2 coat finishing system take from mixing up to final trowel? Couldn't find much advice on this online.

3. Sand, cement and lime render.
No doubt all the old-schoolers will vote for this one. I would probably look to leave the inside of the fireplace as a rubbed up rendered finish and then set over the rest of the chimney breast in multi-finish. Haven't worked with lime in years and even then it was breif as a labourer. How long does it take from first application to being ready for rubbing up generally? How long would I need to leave the outside of the fireplace (scratched up) before I can set over it? How long between scratch coat and top coat?

Have attached a photo. Backgrounds a mixture of brickwork, lintel and some render on the inside (which I may hack off)

Any advice much appreciated!
Click to expand...
I had plasterboard on my fire place I removed it becouse of the heat every Time I went out I had panic attacks thought the house was going up look how it turned out lucky I had stone so I pointed it up whith lime can do the same whith brick if it rustic
 

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carys said:
I had plasterboard on my fire place I removed it becouse of the heat every Time I went out I had panic attacks thought the house was going up look how it turned out lucky I had stone so I pointed it up whith lime can do the same whith brick if it rustic
Click to expand...

looks nice
 
Thanks for replies everyone. Idea of using boards without skim is a good one. Quicky, easy and no skim to worry about cracking on the inside. But would have to mess around with stop beads on the corners if not skimming inside so I think I'm just gonna render with lime. In an old cottage like this I think the inside render actually makes for a nice finish
 
carys said:
I had plasterboard on my fire place I removed it becouse of the heat every Time I went out I had panic attacks thought the house was going up look how it turned out lucky I had stone so I pointed it up whith lime can do the same whith brick if it rustic
Click to expand...

@carys that looks great. Love that style. Unfortunately no beautiful stone here. Brickwork too messy inside for it as well. Looks beaut on yours though, I'm sure you just wanted to show off :p
 
Quote back from Bauwer completely priced that option off the table as predicted. Thought that would happen with delivery costs for just a couple of bags at £53+ vat and £50 + vat for a roll of mesh (would rather pick up a cheaper alternative from merchants). Total quote £261 to do a tiny chimney breast!

Next time anyone has any bags left over anywhere near Reading or wants to share an order let me know as still keen to use the stuff next time I have a period house to do.
 
I float with gypsum but haven't touched sand and cement since for years to be honest, probably not since I was a labourer and that was external only. Would like to more but don't get offered the work very often.

@vfr12 seen you post about using sand/cement/lime mixes before. I don't have much experience with lime in the mix.

If you don't mind me asking how long do you think safe to leave between scratch coat and top coat inside the fireplace?

Got some base coat to fill on the face of the chimney breast. Do you think safe to use my scratch coat (no lime) in one coat to patch into the exposed brick around the outside of the fireplace before I skim that outside face? How long to leave between that and skimming?

Sorry, sounds like amateur hour. The nature of the work I do I basically never get s&c work come up. Not messed about with lime much either. Once or twice when I was a labourer and I wasn't applying it/can't really remember.
 
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