Lay a row of bricks across the bottom of the opening without mortar leaving a gap of about 1cm between each brick and check to see if you will need to cut bricks to completely fill the opening. Build a frame just inside the fireplace opening using 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inch) wooden boards. There's no problem blocking-up / plastering a redundant fire place, but you should ensure the chimney top is closed-off to water ingress plus it is best practice to vent the flue space so as to avoid condensation forming. For this you can use bricks, lightweight building blocks or more lightweight materials such as hardboard, chipboard or asbestos. Inside, fill the wall with insulation, then cover the hole with a piece of material that matches the interior. In the case that you want to permanently close off the fireplace, bricking up the opening with bricks and mortar is the most complete closure method. A fireplace is great for atmosphere, but we have found it worthless in a crunch. Draft Decor products compliment each other and are versatile, too! Trim the excess material at the edges and corners using a utility knife or pair of sharp scissors. A cast-iron surround. This type lets you adjust how far open the damper is. - The fireplace sits between a very large kitchen and a much smaller den. Modern fireplaces often have a handle installed above or inside the opening. Move the lever to open or close the damper. Start by carefully chopping off the plaster from the assumed centre of the fireplace, working outwards, and the outline of the opening will become apparent. Combustible materials within 12 in. from the fireplace opening if projecting more than 1-1/2 in. Place a folding screen in front of the fireplace. To close an old fireplace the opening can either be covered with board or bricked up. 3. I would recommend having a professional mason inspect for missing mortar and cracked liner. Peel the adhesive backing off of a sheet of faux tiles and stick them directly onto your fireplace’s surround before taking a moment to smooth them down by hand. Before you can determine what the best way is to close up your chimney, you need to know for how long you want the chimney closed up. Doing so allows the chimney to exhaust all the smoke that is created by the fire, without losing all the heat. Fireplace Damper Won’t Open Or Close. This looks pretty good in my opinion, of course. When the fireplace is off, however, you may experience the cold air coming through the chimney and stealing the warmth out of your home. It should be spanned by a lintel, which must be left in place. Turn an old rock or brick fireplace into a modern weathered wood masterpiece. If your electric fire is going to sit flush with the chimney breast, then block up the opening, I would use 100mm thermalites or concrete blocks, and fit a vent, you must have an air flow into the stack, or you will have damp problems. You’ve got to make sure that vents (ph) up the house; it’s not slightly open, it’s all the way open. In 35 years I have never had a fire in it. As with the interior damper, the chimney-top model stays open when the fireplace is in use, as this acts as an exhaust to draw fumes out of the house. Put a rain cap on top to keep out the elements, critters and debris, then block off the hole from below. Wrap the opening with a moisture barrier and seal the seams against weather with flashing. If the fireplace is masonry and you're experiencing cold drafts, your flue liner is cracked and there is leakage through the brick in the chimney. With masonry, close it up with bricks and mortar, or put debris in … If it’s B Vent, anything will do: simplest is to just cram a rag in the bottom so it’s still visible. It needs to be precisely the right size, so as not to have any gaps between the plasterboard and the bricks. Measure all sides of the chimney opening at the top of the fireplace, directly below the damper. Hi, I have a fireplace I am not using, the damper is closed unless I'm letting out a bird:eek2:. for each 1-in. Sealing off the fireplace Removing the skirting board. Remember to purchase also a few air bricks, those that allow air to flow through it. The old fireplace opening was 24 x 35.5, so there is a slight overlap, and gravity and the stove pipe holds it in place. If patching in hardwood, it’s best to have professional floor refinisher sand and finish the floor so … In our project, we installed drywall over the entire wall to cover old paneling. How to Convert an Open-Faced Fireplace Into a Closed One. And in fact, in some gas log situations where it’s conversion from a wood burner to a gas-burning log, they put a bracket on a damper to prevent you from ever being able to close … I ran the HVAC-calc program and 20% of my heating bill is used to send hot air up the flue. The lever can move in different directions depending on the type. For instance, you must determine whether you want to take the fireplace out, wall it up to close it permanently or whether you simply want to close it up temporarily so that you can use it again in the future. When you have an active flame going, you want to leave the damper open so the smoke can escape through the flue. To start a fire, you must have the damper in the full-open position. - We know the flue is too small (13" square for two openings each apx 34"x30"). You turn the handle to a vertical position to open the flue damper and back to a horizontal position to close it. Install drywall over the fireplace opening. By properly using a damper, covering the fireplace, or installing a chimney balloon, you can keep the heat in and the cold out! Fireplaces just do not heat well and gas logs are worthless. Follow KMS's advice and close it off. Cut plasterboard to fit the fireplace opening exactly. But before closing up the fireplace you need to remove the fire surround and hearth. If your fireplace has a knob, you'll twist the knob to open the damper. You can also infill the opening with timber studs and plaster board, but I … distance from such opening.” In your case, the surround would be considered combustible trim and cannot be less than 12 in. of a fireplace opening shall not project more than 1/8 in. But when you aren’t using your fireplace, leaving the damper open can allow warmth out and cold air in. At the Chimney Safety Institute of America, we receive a lot of questions from homeowners who want to prevent heat from escaping through a chimney. Bird fit thru the top--so much for a spark arrester. Then cut a board to fit the floor of the fireplace, paint it black and then cut some decorative logs and stack them inside. Nov 24, 2014 - Explore Kelly Daley's board "unused fireplace cover", followed by 220 people on Pinterest. 4. Remove this vent and use a torch to look inside the opening. Birds yes, fire no. Once the chimney has been swept, clear out any debris left on the ‘floor’ of the fireplace. You need to leave an air ventilation opening to keep from getting air pockets backing up from the top of the chimney. Skin the outer opening with a piece of material cut to the exact size of the hole. Cut a piece of foam board the exact size of the opening,say 2 inches thick.Tape the edges to the fireplace opening.Then place a nice dried flower arrangement in front.It is easily removable if and when you want to sell the house and in the meantime will reduce your heating costs. Install new wood flooring planks to within 1/4” of walls or as manufacturer requires. 2. Choose a half-height one to cover the opening but reveal the mantel, or select a full-size one to cover the entire hearth area. Choose a colour that is similar or complementary to the existing fireplace. Fireplace dampers can be subject to intense heat from fires, and also have to deal with any smoke, soot and ash that pass through them. The best way to stop fireplace drafts is to seal up your fireplace opening by installing Draft Decor's Flue-zee Flue Covers, Magnetic Vent Covers or Termination Cap Covers. You might have to push it in and out, up and down or side to side. Answered 20th Nov 2011 ... opening old fireplace space - how to stop the draft. Everyone likes to cozy up in front of a fireplace during the cold months. Information on how to open up and close off a fireplace. - The damper is 7" wide x 30" long and functions properly, although it is offset much closer to the kitchen side of the fireplace, creating a 'shelf' on the den side (the side that smokes). Fire surrounds can be made of cast-iron, timber, brick, stone or tiled. The fireplace opening needs to be measured so you have an idea of how much brick needs to be purchased to seal it. There are two kinds of drafts - vent drafts and flue drafts. Give your fireplace a quick makeover with peel-and-stick tiles. This will give you some idea of the size of the fireplace opening. After the fire has started, close the damper as far as possible without causing smoke to back up into the room. It also reflects the heat back into the room, as heat is about photons and shiny is better to reflect those. See more ideas about fireplace cover, fireplace, unused fireplace. They also come into contact, and help stop, any moisture or rainwater than makes its way down into the chimney or flue. Blocking up the opening Once the fireplace has been knocked down and the area cleaned, the opening should be blocked off to prevent draughts and to stop dust falling down the chimney into the room. Remove the skirting board in front of the fireplace, either by taking the whole thing off the wall or making a cut on either side of the fireplace and removing a section. An open-faced fireplace leaves the pit wide open at all times. The method of opening and closing the flue depends on the type of fireplace and how it was constructed and installed in the room. Once the bricks are purchased, a row of them need to be set about twelve inches inside the opening of the fireplace. 2. Closing the fireplace . Starting one course down from the underside of the lintel, remove a full course of masonry the width of the opening. Opening and Closing a Fireplace – How to Open a Blocked up Fireplace so That it can be Used for a Fire and How to Block up an Unused Fireplace. Opening a fireplace damper depends on the model of the fireplace, but generally there is a lever that slides back and forth to open and close it. Close the fireplace damper completely. Because you won’t be using your fireplace for a few months, make sure you close your damper. Seal the seams against weather with flashing than 12 in the draft made cast-iron. Building blocks or more lightweight materials such as hardboard, chipboard or asbestos, you twist... Measured so you have an idea of how much brick needs to be precisely the right,. Won ’ t using your fireplace has a knob, you 'll twist knob. Purchase also a few air bricks, lightweight building blocks or more lightweight such! The heat back into the room full-open position sits between a very large kitchen and a much smaller.... 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