how do i stick baseboard to fireplace? (bricks) vertically keeping it in place?

debs

Answer
Nail through board with hammer to mark brick. Electric drill with bit for drilling stone where nailed showed mark. Insert dowel same size as drill , hammer nail into dowel,.

How do you take paint off of brick?

Sherry R

Tudor brick home built in 1926. Homeowner painted the fireplace. We want to know the steps to restore the fireplace back to the original brick. Thanks!

Answer
Getting paint off of anything is always a messy business. With brick, it's extra messy, and hard, because the mortar between the bricks is not at the same level.

Sandblasting works, but requires a lot of equippment, and gets a lot of sand (potentially wet sand, depending on the machine used) all over the room... better for exterior work.

Chemicals may work, but I am not impressed. Usually this just dissolves the paint, and you have to wipe it off. The paint spots you're sure to miss will often seep deeper into the cracks and crevices... but if the paint is some sort of earth tone, this may not be too big a deal, might just make it look like "used" bricks. As a bonus, chemicals usually do not damage the bricks themselves, which would otherwise get some amount of apparent weathering.

A wire brush is probably the second best way to do it. They don't get sand all over like a sandblaster. You have more control over what gets removed, and what does not get removed... but doing this by hand will literally take forever.

Rotary wheels with wire bristles on them can be attached to dremel tools, electric screwdrivers, drills, or even some rotary saws. They sacrifice some of the accuracy of a wire brush for a much faster overall process. This will probably take less time than using paint remover chemicals, but slightly more time than a sand blaster. You're likely to get paint chips and bits of brick and mortar dust everywhere, but at least there will be no wet sand. You might be able to find rotary wheels of different sizes and thicknesses... one like a big roller would be great for the brick surface. A much thinner one should get the horizontal mortar between the brick layers, and a very small one could get the detail work in the vertical mortar between individual bricks in a layer.

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Electric fireplace... on carpet?

Cara

I'm looking into buying an electric fireplace for my bedroom, but the whole room is carpeted.

Do you have an electric fireplace, especially one that's set on a carpeted floor? Tell me about your experience with it.

Thank you!

Answer
Since your house is newer, unless you specifically purchased carpet with flame resistance, it's going to be a synthetic material like nylon or polypropylene with a really low melting point. All of the different types have a lower melting point than wood will burn at. The question you need to ask the fireplace salesman is, what temperature does the unit emit at the base? If it's enough to melt the material, put clay bricks underneath it. Clay is a natural insulator, and you can set em up in some art deco style manner. Also little sparks have a tendency of getting in carpet and I have a woodburning fireplace in the basement, it's messy; bringing in wood brings in bugs, look up your local bugs.. So make sure you plan for keeping the carpet clean and spark-free!

Is a white electric fireplace tacky?

Blasse

Especially when it is against a brick red colour wall?

Answer
I don't think its tacky. Lots of mantelpieces and fireplace surrounds are painted white. Against a brick colored wall, the white should really pop out and look fresh.

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Best way to construct a fireplace on a brick wall?

Brielle

One of our walls in out living room is brick and we would like to have a fireplace there. How would you suggest building one? It has a gas pipe hookup but we are also looking at electric ones. My husband can lay bricks, tile, stone, whatever. He can also make a mantel. We would really appreciate any tips or suggestions!

Answer
=== a wood burning fireplace ?? or gas fired logs?? ==== for me the best option would be to but a free standing iron wood burning stove ... you can build a nice brick under-layment [[ fire protection ]] and then you can just cap off the gas pipe === those inserts are awesome and very safe ... just an option for space saving === if you build a fireplace keep in mind the space [[ keep it smallish ]] and please ask yourself is this adding to the value of our home ....

how do i stick baseboard to fireplace? (bricks) vertically keeping it in place?

debs

Answer
Nail through board with hammer to mark brick. Electric drill with bit for drilling stone where nailed showed mark. Insert dowel same size as drill , hammer nail into dowel,.

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Best way to build a fireplace against a brick wall?

electric fireplaces the brick image

Brielle

One of our walls in out living room is brick and we would like to have a fireplace there. How would you suggest building one? It has a gas pipe hookup but we are also looking at electric ones. My husband can lay bricks, tile, stone, whatever. He can also make a mantel. We would really appreciate any tips or suggestions!

Answer
visit a hearth store, they have many options for vent free gas fireplaces, since you already have the line there its your best option, you can buy them with the mantel or without, if its a zero clearance model it will only produce heat out of the front and so the brick is a moot point. i recently installed one in my living room and constructed my own mantel for it, took me about 20 minutes to install and alother 30 to build the mantel, very easy

Should I tell the construction company from now that i wanna have a fireplace in my still-unbuilt villa ?

Stratomans

the villa is not built yet.. can i build a fireplace later, after the villa is finished? or should i tell the construction company now, so they can build a proper place for it?

Answer
Change orders are more expensive, but easier to do now if you want a wood burning or gas fireplace. You need a chimney with proper brick insulation, etc. There are also some beautiful ELECTRIC fireplaces that are mantles that fit flush against the wall that have electric logs that glow. You could add those anytime. See RCI Wood Products / Rustic Crafts. www.RCIWoodProducts.com 570-253-7233. I've done the research!!! These are the most affordable carved, exquisite pieces, albeit there are a few dinky ones for less. Also many stone ones that are $$$

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How much would it cost to have a gas heating system installed in an older brick home with an oil furnace?

electric fireplaces the brick image

HeatQuesti

The house is in a neighborhood with gas lines, but I don't know how close the main gas line is. It's roughly 1,200 square foot. It also has a fireplace, which will help with the heating costs but we want to find out how much it would be to make the change from oil to gas, as oil can be so expensive.

Answer
I think it depends on where you live. For me- in the Midwest- it would run about $4,000- 6,000- depending on ductwork and the like. I would recommend going the geo-thermal route. Initially it is about 3x as much. Here are the perks though.
1- You use far less energy- only electric.
2- You get big rebates for installing the system- sometimes up to $5,000 from your electric company.
3- There are far fewer moving parts (only a pump), so it presents fewer problems down the road and is less expensive to fix and upkeep.
4- It eliminates the need for central AC and all of the cost that goes with it, since it uses the ground's temp of 55 degrees.
5- It is "green" and gives you knowledge that you are doing your part (cheesy but true)

I have a friend that installed a system in his house. He has about 3,000 sq. ft. He heats and cools his house on less than $100.00 a month- winter and summer!

I am thinking of installing a fireplace where there isn't one?

Fawntel R

I am contemplating installing a fierplace in a house that is one story and not made of brick. How much do you think this will cost me? Are there any cheaper alternatives? Thanks in advance!

Answer
lots of cheaper and more efficient ways to go here...i would go with a brick chimney and woodstove...a full fireplace will run in the neighbohood of 8-10,000 , off thetop of my head...you will hear of gas and electric fireplaces...i would sooner run my furnace than invest in either of those...i like the smell of wood and enjoy watching the flames...

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