Independent facing of a fireplace by a stone

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Facing with a stone of a fireplace

Facing a stone with a fireplace looks quite attractive, so it is in demand. The facing stone for fireplaces in a large assortment is on sale.
Here you can choose not only the desired color, but also the configuration. Facing fireplaces with stone is not such a simple task, as it might seem at first glance.
But of course you can do it yourself. Today you will learn how stone cladding of fireplaces is done and instructions will be offered to perform this work.

Fireplace Finishing

Decorating brick fireplaces is not as easy as some people think. And it doesn’t depend at all, it’s fireplace mantel natural stone or wild stone facing of fireplaces.
Installation is carried out sequentially subject to some features of the masonry, only in this case it will be successful. There is nothing important here, everything has its meaning.
And if something is wrong to do, it will violate the entire structure of the structure. There is a correlation in everything.
Before you begin to do work, you need to study the video of this process to represent the progress of the work. Sequential instructions are attached.

Brick selection

The facing stone for the fireplace must first be selected correctly. It can be bought freely in the distribution network, but not every material needs to be purchased; note that not every option is suitable for this.
There are some features of the right choice:

• First, make the correct calculation of the volume that you need. There are many combinations that need to be calculated correctly.
  When choosing a material, there are certain rules that you should definitely adopt. Wild stone for facing the fireplace sometimes has an irregular geometric shape and this must be taken into account;
• Facing fireplaces with natural stone is much easier. It has less weight and is easier to handle. Moreover, it has smooth edges and it is much easier to calculate the right amount;
• To set the furnace zone, you should choose the material in the most careful way. There will be the highest temperature, but the material for the furnace plays a role, which can create a different temperature regime.
  Using coal to build this chimney zone, choose fireclay bricks that can withstand a fairly high temperature, reaching up to 1200 degrees. If you plan to use only firewood as a fire chamber, you can also use ordinary red brick, which is able to withstand temperatures up to 800 degrees.

Attention: When using any kind of fuel, it is worthwhile to use only high-quality material, which must be without burning and burning. When burned on the surface, dark spots are observed, and when burned, it is characterized by a pale color. The color of the brick should be uniform.

• Brick for fireplace trim must have a brand name of at least 200. Keep this in mind when checking the quality certificate.
• In order to make minor parts of the fireplace, you can use a secondary brick, however, a preliminary check should be made for the presence of chips and cracks. During heating, this material will crack.
• When lining the firebox, use exclusively fireclay bricks that can withstand temperatures up to 1600 degrees.

Installation of the foundation for the fireplace

A bricked fireplace weighs a lot, so you need to properly prepare the place for its installation.A foundation should be built that can withstand the structure.
When implementing this process, there are some recommendations that need to be kept in mind.

So:

• Facing brick for the fireplace you need to install on a brick, concrete base or base made of rubble stone. When laying the foundation, you should take into account the gap between the fireplace and the base of about 50 cm. It is important that there is no dressing between them, it cannot be done. Between them you need to put the soil.
• We install the brick for facing the fireplace on a base that is wider than the dimensions of the fireplace itself by 10-15 cm.

Attention: If you use rubble brick in the construction of the foundation, then do not lay it to the level of the base of the fireplace. It is necessary to put a brick on the last two rows.

• Finishing bricks must be installed in the correct way and regarding the pipe. It will be necessary to calculate and determine the dimensions of the base.
  For this purpose, it is necessary to correctly mark the installation zones in relation to the pipe, without fail, the use of a plumb line, which helps to maintain the correct perpendicular, is mandatory.
• To determine the base, it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of the fireplace table, the area of ​​which should be 20 cm less than the area of ​​the base.
• The foundation should be at least 50 cm deep for a house on one floor. If the house is two-story, then the foundation needs to be done at least a meter.
  Do not neglect this. To convince, take into account the weight of the pipe, it will be twice as much. This will allow you to understand the full need for these costs.
• Brick fireplace for installation on the second floor is carried out on an independent foundation. I-beams can also be used, providing the necessary rigidity.
  In the case when the structure is large, you will need to weld the beams together, weld the ribs to the ribs. This will significantly strengthen the beam and make it possible to carry out the installation. Do not forget about safety.
• If the fireplace is large, you can, after you have dug a hole in the ground, pour a small layer of sand there. Other experts also pour water there, which allows the sand to penetrate into the soil and fill the voids. As a result, the fireplace will not shrink, and if it does, then not in a strong and even way.
• Perform the last row of the foundation using the building level, the length of which should be at least one and a half meters. This will allow you to maintain the correct plane.
• After completing the foundation, you need to let it dry to the end and before starting work without fail lay a waterproofing layer. It is made of roofing material or bitumen coating.
• If concrete is used to install the foundation, then it is necessary to reinforce it, which will greatly make the structure tougher. For this purpose, it is necessary not only to put the reinforcement, but also to weld it together with each other as a grid.

Solution preparation

Brick for facing the fireplace must be laid on a special solution, which, like the quality material you have chosen, can withstand temperatures of 1600 degrees. It would be a wrong decision to use a solution for masonry that can withstand only 700 degrees.
Some experts use a simple cement solution that can withstand elevated temperatures, but this solution will not last long. Then cracks can go in the masonry, and the finishing brick will fall out of it.
The best option for bricklaying is a clay mortar, which you need to be able to do correctly:

• First, buy the right amount of clay;
• The solution is made of sand and clay. It is good to use mountain sand, not river sand.
  It will allow to fasten the surface at the proper level. To correctly determine the ratio, you need to find out the fat content of clay. Visually, you cannot determine this.It is necessary to make 10 balls with a diameter of one centimeter, add sand to each ball differently;

The solution must be completely homogeneous.

• Then they will need to be dried, dropped on solid soil from a meter high. That ball, which will not break and does not deform, will be the right choice of the desired solution composition;

Attention: Before making the ball, the composition of each of them should be recorded so as not to be forgotten later. And in the event that you plan to use solid fuel for the furnace, then you need to add fireclay powder to the solution, the ratio of which should be approximately 15%. This will allow the masonry to withstand any temperature conditions.

• Follow the preparation of the solution, it should be homogeneous clots and stones. Do not allow dutiks to appear in masonry. For this purpose, the entire solution should be cleaned of stones and impurities. It is necessary to pass the clay through a sieve, separate the stones and knead the lumps;
• Then, having determined the composition of the solution and preparing the mass for a high-quality finish of the fireplace with a brick, we proceed to the correct preparation of the solution. You will need to choose a container, giving preference to one in which there are no faces at its edges and bottom.
  Pour clay into it and fill it with water for a day. This time is necessary for the clay to nourish the required amount of water, that is, “sour”;
• Then we fall asleep fireclay and sand. Mix the solution so that it is homogeneous and plastic. For this purpose, use a drill with a nozzle. This simple tool will make it possible to ensure uniformity of the solution.

There are many options for determining the composition of a solution. We have brought to your attention the most affordable and simple.

We make the facing

Brick fireplace decoration is carried out according to special rules, which must be observed. Facing a fireplace made of bricks must be performed rigidly, then the design will last a long time.
The price of this work is quite high, therefore, with its independent implementation, you will provide a significant reduction in the price of the structure.

Attention: There is one circumstance that must be taken into account. When decorating a fireplace with a brick, which is laid without a seam, a dressing must be present. This condition must be strictly observed.

So:

• First, we are laying a pair of corner bricks. We lay the solution under the first brick, a little more under the second brick. Then using the level you need to set the parallel direction relative to the ground.
  When installing the first two elements, it is necessary to correctly calculate the dimensions of the structure. Make sure that when laying the last brick in the row there should not be a gap of 5 cm, as this can ruin the appearance. Work can be done easily if the foundation is done as it should.
• Do not start laying brick immediately, first you need to put a row without mortar, measure, then fit the bricks with a grinder and a cutting wheel on the stone. Note that you must withstand the thickness of the seams.

Before fastening, we make the correct calculation

• Then, the fishing line is pulled onto the first stacked bricks and the rest of the masonry is performed.
• We make further laying from the corners, we use a plumb line. Please note that any deviation of 1 mm through 5 rows will become 1 cm. Monitor the quality, measure each row.
• During masonry, you need to alternate rows, starting with masonry from ¾, from half, or from a whole brick. You need to pre-select the configuration, make the correct dressing.

Attention: Before starting work, you will need to lower the brick into the water, it will pick up moisture, after laying it will sit correctly and solidify properly, the process will be completely uniform. If you do not, then the brick will begin to very intensively collect moisture from the solution and will not harden evenly.

• After you have made two rows, you need to make a blow for the fireplace. It will be made of high-quality refractory bricks.In the event that you did not use chamotte in the mortar for the facade masonry, then this must be done here.
• We encircle the blower, following the correct dressing, the row should be continuous. Then we make the furnace.
• On the lower part of the furnace for a closed fireplace put grate. Get ready-made cast-iron grate.
  They come in different sizes. Choose the appropriate size, then put the grate on the brick, circling the outline with a pencil. Then take the grinder, make a groove, note that its size should be 1 cm larger and the depth 5 mm larger than the thickness of the plate. This will get rid of trouble if the material expands. This must be foreseen without fail.
• You have done half the decoration of the fireplace insert using refractory bricks. Then for a closed structure you need to fasten the door.
  You can’t put the door up close for this. First, it is necessary to carry out a winding along the door circuit with an asbestos cord, then fasten it already. As a result of this type of fastening, you will receive the highest quality installation seam.
• You can fix the doors in the masonry in this way: if the door is cast iron, then a hole is made, where we launch a steel wire in the form of a pigtail, which is then installed in the masonry; if the door is metal, then you just need to weld the mortgages, then mount them also in the treasure.

Attention: Do not forget that the brick furnish of the fireplace insert is made only after you have processed it with an asbestos cord and not earlier.

• Thus, work is carried out in the construction of a closed fireplace. For the open version, in any case, you need to perform a blow-up, which we do below. This will improve the quality of fuel combustion.
• Cladding of a fireplace insert with a brick is also performed without fail with dressing.
• After finishing the fireplace insert, you can proceed to the full cladding. When laying each rad, you need to use the building level to check how correctly the installation is carried out.
• The rows will need to be laid with a uniform seam, this will ensure a high-quality appearance. For this purpose, we use the template and make its installation on each of the corners.

We carefully customize all the details

• All corner bricks must be checked using a square and a plumb line.
• Then you need to install a pipe that can be made using different materials. Read the article posted on our website and choose the right pipe, which is necessary both for the appearance and for the performance of a certain work.
  Also depends on it and the exhaust gas after working out and the quality of fuel combustion. A fireplace is a single mechanism in which all elements perform their functions, and the quality work of each of them to a large extent affects the performance of the entire mechanism. Recall again that there are no trifles here, everything is interconnected.
• Having completed the installation, we make the facing for which we are acquiring the material. When choosing material, be sure to consider the type of fuel.
  For solid fuels, you need to check the quality certificate and pay attention to the temperature regime of use. The material must be refractory.

Facing a fireplace with a wild stone is a bit more complicated. It is harder to fit.
Wild stone for facing fireplaces must first be tried on several times and only then trimmed. And without having made the layout of a whole series on dry, you never need to attach a single element.
Before work, you should see photos and videos. To fully understand how to do everything qualitatively