I will leave my chimney. I just don't use my fireplace and need the extra space in my living room.
2007-01-25 19:41:50 · 3 answers · asked by merlebh 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
It would gain me six feet of wall space and give me more options on decorating and arranging my room.
2007-01-25 19:57:38 · update #1
Hello,yes there are things you need to do before you start tearing it out.Before you start, clean the chimney and brush it. Any hammering will cause quantities of soot to fall down .Move all of your furniture away from the fire place and cover everything with tarps,or drop cloths.Look to see if the fire surround was installed on top of your hearth. If it wasn't thats good, than you can remove the hearth first, as it was probebley installed after the surround. Always,always wear goggles.Remember saftey comes first! You'll need about a two lb. sledge hammer, a ,bricklayers chisel,some heavy gloves and probebley a couple of wooden wedges(couldn't hurt) .start breaking away the morter between the bricks to loosen the bond. The wedges would be helpful here.Lever it free with a crow bar, or the blade of a shovel. Than lift it out. Your gonna need help ,this will be very very heavy,and to much for one person. Most fire surrounds are installed using brackets that are attached to the sides of it.L-brackets would be a good discription of them .It is than mounted to the walls with screws.Than chip about one inch of plaster away all around the surround.This will show you where the screws are.Unscrew all of the screws compleatley.(If you can't, use Liquid Wrench and leave on for two hrs.)Than again get your help to lift it out. You also can chisel out the morter, and break it into pieces,but if it comes out in one piece,and in good condition, you'll be able to sell it . " That's All Folks " I'd tell you how toseal up the opening, but this answer has already turned into a book. Good Luck,remember your saftey!Bye.
2007-01-25 20:56:18 · answer #1 · answered by Sandyspacecase 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont see how getting rid of it will gain you more space even if you do remove the chimney it is a very narrow area and taking out the Fireplace you are decreasing the value of your home,just make sure you leave the chimney for possible reinstalling I guarantee you you will regret this move down the road
2007-01-26 03:51:46 · answer #2 · answered by JOHN D 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure you put out the fire first. It could be painful otherwise.
2007-01-26 03:49:20 · answer #3 · answered by Warren D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋