[Closed] Fireplace Removal

To my knowledge fire's in old property are usually on a concrete block. Even if it turns out to be aspestos just damp it down and try not to break it up. Better still pva it and leave it in.
Face mask obligatory.

If you can remove the 'solid underlay' without breaking it up, damp it down a remove with PPE and not creating dust. If it needs smashing up, take sample and post to one of the asbestos testing companies. Never done it but presumably there are independent ones that don't have a nice expensive team primed to come and remove it in return for a kidney.

Or put it in two bags and take it to the tip for free when they open.

Thanks guys, will be difficult to remove without smashing it up, so will send a sample off for testing, seems money well spent at £20

I had some asbestos tested via online company recently. They sent a kit to get the samples and had results in about a week, both samples were positive (artex and garage ceiling boards).

There is smashing and it breaking a bit.

Just damp it down and tape a sheet over it and wear a 90+ mask and a HEPA vacuum to catch any flakes.

From experience of others who have done it, expect loads of dust and soot when you start banging at a fire place, if youre removing the whole fire place, not so much of a problem just removing the actual fire.

I had similar tested under the fire and it wasn't asbestos. Garage roof inner skin was a different matter and about the worst stuff you could get - definitely not a DIY removal job.

Gas fitter friend thought it pretty rare to find it around fires - much more common around old boilers and flues.

Test is cheap and quick so go from there.

It's surprising how many people forget that there's usually 6 metres of newly unsupported chimney above their newly re-plastered ceiling. A double layer of plasterboard isn't quite enough to hold it up.

BigJohn, what do you mean? All the crap that will have accumulated in the chimney over the years that opening it up will expose?

He means that the chimney continues up to the roof but the remaining part no longer has any support to the downstairs floor.

I think he is referring the the practice of removing a down stairs chimney breast and wondering why upstairs is son down stairs. People also forget the fireplace and chimney add structural strength to the internal wall like a pillar would.

Don't think the Op is planning anything that drastic though, removal of 70s gas fire and use the space for shelves. Will need a new lintel if bricks are removed above the opening though.

Ah right - yeah I'm not doing anything that drastic!

I've opened up a couple of Victoria fireplaces. Didn't have any asbestos, but be prepared for a World of Shite to be in there.

Ours was full to the top of 1st floor level, 86 rubble sacks of mainly roof slates, soot and brick ends came out it and had to be gotten rid of.

Took out one fireplace and then another 2 from the same opening as it had been reduced and reduced over the years.

Just need to hunt for the arch/lintel first to check it's still there and solid before removing the fill.

Yes, that other thing...

We have a Victorian end terrace. When we went into next door their back room looked much nicer than ours because they'd removed the chimney. However, a surveyor pointed out to us that houses like ours were built using the chimney stacks as the main supports while the gable end walls were just single skin brick. That is indeed the case (not much heat insulation there) and the lot would have tumbled down like a house of cards if we'd tried to remove one.

Blimey - we're very much keeping the chimney as is, and merely restoring the fireplace opening

There is normally a big builders lintel above the fireplace, and then a smaller lintel or brick arch below it at the opening. We enlarged our opening quite a bit and it still needed a new lintel below the main one.