Building Fireplace

[Kloubek]

So, our house came with a gas fireplace which we moved to our bonus room upstairs. (The room where we'd make use of it)

But for shits and giggles, we are building one in our great room after all; already bought an electric insert.

Attached is the general plan. (And yes, of course those are our model shots up on the wall)

Anyway, the reason I made this post is to ask those with experience: The face of the fireplace wall would span some 9-10 feet wide, about 3-4 feet tall, 1 foot deep, and connect on the sides to existing side bulkheads. What kind of reinforcement would I need to pull this off when I attach it to the wall? It will "float" about 1-2 feet off the ground.

Obviously, I'd want to remove the drywall so it is wood-to-wood.
Oh... and it will not be bearing anything remotely heavy except the insert, which weighs some 20 pounds.

Thoughts?

[C_Dave45]

Just use simple 2x4 framing. You don't even need to remove the existing drywall. Just attach any new studs right straight on the drywall, but make sure they're screwed or nailed through to existing studs in behind drywall

[Kloubek]

...and that will be supportive enough to carry the weight of the veneer facing eh? It just seemed like a lot of weight for it to carry without any kind of support from the bottom side...

(For others: The white brick is intended to be veneer stone. Maybe quartz)

[barmanjay]

use lots of screws :D

[Kloubek]

Well, we bought the material. We were going to purchase quartz, at over $14 sq/ ft, but found some really nice cultured stone at Rona today at half that. Already picked it up. The colour is not quite what we wanted (a little too beige), but a simple wash of white acrylic paint makes all the difference.

So, when I build this framework, I should probably mimic the vertical supports with the same 16"oc eh?(I think that is standard?)

Also, (Dave would be a good one to answer this), what material do I put over the framework to attach the stone? I originally thought drywall, but then figured plywood would be better, and finally was told concrete board is the best. Then the wire mesh, a scratch coat, mortar, and then the stone.

Is the concrete board really required, considering this will not be subjected to any reasonable heat and/or moisture?

[joyridder]

2x4 framing and plywood/drywall/or cement board. Plywood or cement board being the two better options. When you fasten your mesh you are wanting to fasten to the studs. Please post before and after shots!

[C_Dave45]

You don't need either Jeff. Cement board is better in a moisture situation. But that doesn't apply here. Just straight drywall. You don't even need metal lathe. Thinset straight into the drywall. (Use modified thinset). That small amount you don't need lathe on there. I just did an 18 foot floor to ceiling 4 sided fireplace with that same $14/sq ft quartz (a lot heavier than the cultured stuff) and just put it onto the drywall. It was a showhome.

[Kloubek]

No lathe... really. Now that's surprising.

Final question then: I assume the thinset will not have the required initial strength to hold the tile in place. Should I support it from the bottom on initial application? I've only worked with vertical tile once (slate), and it was right to the floor so it was not an issue.

Thanks for your help guys! Joyridder: I'll take before, after, and during shots. :thumbsup:

Here's the final rendering I'll work off of. I decided I might as well put some lighting in the bottom, to help the "floating" effect. In fact, the bottom really has no need to be finished whatsoever. Nice to be able to access the cable and power outlets too.

Is there perchance a "standard" mantle height?

http://members.shaw.ca/kloubek/public/fireplace.jpg

[C_Dave45]

Yes, just take a spare 2x4...turn it flat and cut a few pcs to support from underneath as a temporary "platform" for the stone to sit on. They will sag otherwise and slide right off.

[Kloubek]

Excellent. I'll start building this weekend.... :thumbsup:

[masoncgy]

That design looks great, love those colors! Can't wait to see the finished product.

[sxtasy]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
You don't need either Jeff. Cement board is better in a moisture situation. But that doesn't apply here. Just straight drywall. You don't even need metal lathe. Thinset straight into the drywall. (Use modified thinset). That small amount you don't need lathe on there. I just did an 18 foot floor to ceiling 4 sided fireplace with that same $14/sq ft quartz (a lot heavier than the cultured stuff) and just put it onto the drywall. It was a showhome. Perhaps the screws in the drywall will hold it. But it is code to have 2.5lb lathe to support.

[Kloubek]

Well, the fireplace itself is built. And it looks surprisingly close to the mockup. Used mortar right on the gyproc, and it seems to have worked well.

Still need to assemble/stain the mantle, and paint the wall. The wife forced me to go with a brown wall color, so hopefully it will look ok.

Will have pictures by end of week. Pretty exciting project really - it looks smokin' hot imo.

I also ended up putting speakers and a sub inside the fireplace structure. That way, it takes up no floor space and you get sound from what appears to be nowhere.

[Lex350]

Not sure if I am late on this but you should also consider the height the TV will be in relation to the mantel height. Most people place it way too high. Also having a bit lower mantel will give the room a wider feel.

When I did my basement we just mounted the stone right on the drywall. We have never had an issue with it.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4189/img1695y.jpg (http://img823.imageshack.us/i/img1695y.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Kloubek]

^^ Good thinking. The way I designed it (with the box being lifted off the ground, and having to be a certain height to properly accomodate the fireplace insert), the TV will indeed be higher than I would really like. But the fact is, this is for our "great room", which is essentially part of the open concept main floor... and we really never use it except when we have company anyway.

So yes, the TV will be a little higher than would be ideal, but it will seldom be used. The most use I can think of is when the wife is in the kitchen cooking, in which case the height is not really relevant.

Anyone know where I might be able to find metal for the trim around the insert, as per the mockup picture?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Kloubek

Anyone know where I might be able to find metal for the trim around the insert, as per the mockup picture?

Are you looking for the actual "trim" pieces that attaches to the fireplace? Or just a generic piece to cover the edges of the stone?
Princess Auto has lengths of brushed aluminum in an "L" shape. About 1 1/2"x1 1/2". Otherwise you might contact the fireplace company and they might have something.

Curious to see the final pictures. Bet it looks awesome!

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
Or just a generic piece to cover the edges of the stone?
Princess Auto has lengths of brushed aluminum in an "L" shape. About 1 1/2"x1 1/2".


Sounds interesting - I should check it out. I was kinda thinking maybe 3 inches or so, but that might work too. (Though I have no idea how to cut aluminum....)

The wife is off today, and I've assigned her the task of sanding down the mantle. There is a bit of a time constraint for completion, as my father is in town visiting on Friday; that leaves us two more evenings unless we want to visit in a construction zone. With any luck, she'll have time to get started on the painting as well. Work woman, work! :)

[C_Dave45]

I've got a mitre saw with a "non-ferrous" metal blade that cuts aluminum. If you need it I can either lend it or you can bring them and I'll cut them for you.

[Kloubek]

You are the man, aren't you? :)

[Crymson]

Back on the topic of fireplaces ---


I have a wood burning fire place and the mantle and surrounding stuff is HUGE and oak.

Can someone link me to anything about building code regarding replacing that oak with something else? Is there minimum distances or material restrictions? Anything like that?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Crymson
Back on the topic of fireplaces ---


I have a wood burning fire place and the mantle and surrounding stuff is HUGE and oak.

Can someone link me to anything about building code regarding replacing that oak with something else? Is there minimum distances or material restrictions? Anything like that?

Might be something in here http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/dba/brochures/fireplaces.pdf

[Crymson]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Might be something in here http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/dba/brochures/fireplaces.pdf

Thanks Dave, i had found that. It only referrs to metal, pre-fab fireplaces. I have one made of masonry.

[Kloubek]

ok... so the fireplace is basically finished. I've photoshopped a mantle into it, since the wood is stupid long and it doesn't exactly fit into a Vette too easily.... so it is awaiting transport.

This is how it looked before:
http://members.shaw.ca/kloubek/public/fireplacesmall4.jpg

The wife is "washing" the stone with white, to make it lighter. Fits much better with our white furniture now.
http://members.shaw.ca/kloubek/public/fireplacesmall3.jpg

...and the fireplace now:
http://members.shaw.ca/kloubek/public/fireplacesmall1.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/kloubek/public/fireplacesmall2.jpg

I feel that the brown is a little dark - and it would have been nice to have more contrast with the mantle and the wall.

Another thing you guys won't see in these pics is that there is subtle lighting at the bottom too. (It was just really bright when I took these). It works AWESOME as late night lighting, and when the lights are all on inside the house at night it does give a very subtle addition as well.

What you also cannot see is that I built in speakers and a sub. The sound quality is actually fairly decent - but it's like the sound comes out of "nowhere" which is kinda cool. (And keeps them from being visible.)

[kaput]

.