When you’re updating your home with new features, such as a fireplace or ventless-m insert , you may discover that your chimney is blocked by an old chimney breast. A chimney breast is a small wall built directly next to the chimney in order to enclose it. It’s typically made from red brick and may date back to when homes were built with separate hearths for both the kitchen and living room. If you have removed your old fireplace or plan on doing so soon, removing that old chimney breast will give you more space to work and improve airflow throughout your home. Here are some tips on how to remove a chimney breast and what you need to know about this project.
What’s Required for Chimney Breast Removal?
If you want a chimney breast removal, you’ll need to know the structure of your chimney and how it’s built. First, you’ll want to find the bottom of your chimney. From there you can follow the path of the flue up the chimney and assess the materials used to build the structure. If you have a masonry chimney, such as one made of brick or stone, you’ll first need to remove the flue. If your flue is made of clay tile or concrete, you’ll first need to break it up. You’ll then need to patch the holes made by removing the flue or broken materials, as well as seal any cracks in the chimney. You’ll also need to install a new flue or a cap on top of the chimney if you plan on keeping it.
Venting Requirements
Before you remove a chimney breast, you’ll first need to make sure that your flue is properly vented. If your chimney was built before 1901, there’s a good chance that it does not have an engineered flue. An engineered flue is one that has been specifically designed for your home. If your chimney was built before 1901, it was most likely built with a standard flue. Standard flues are less complicated and often cheaper to install. However, they are not as efficient in terms of airflow as engineered flues are. Therefore, if your chimney was built before 1901 and you plan on keeping the flue, you’ll first need to hire a professional to convert your chimney to an engineered flue. Otherwise, you cannot legally remove the chimney breast.
Removing the Chimney Breast
Before you remove a chimney breast, you’ll first need to make sure that the flue is properly vented. You’ll also need to remove any obstructions that are blocking the path of the flue. Once you’ve cleared the path of the flue, you’ll need to break up any brick in the area that is preventing you from removing the chimney breast. You can break up the brick with a sledgehammer or chisel. Once the brick is broken up, you can remove the chimney breast with a pry bar or crowbar. Once the chimney breast is pulled away from the chimney, you can remove the bricks from the wall. Once the bricks are removed from the wall, you can apply joint compound to the wall and hang drywall on the wall. But why go through all of this trouble when you can hire a professional London Construction Contractor that is specialized in chimney breast removal.
How to Install Drywall During Chimney Removal
If you are removing the chimney breast during drywall installation, you’ll need to make sure that there is enough room between the top of the drywall and the bottom of the removed chimney breast. From there, you’ll need to make sure that the top of the chimney is covered with a piece of plywood or another material that can be used as a screw-off surface. Once the chimney breast is removed, you can place the drywall on the wall where the chimney breast was. Before you fasten the drywall to the wall, you’ll need to use a joint compound to fill in the gap between the top of the drywall and the bottom of the chimney breast. Once the joint compound has dried, you can fasten the drywall to the wall.
Installing Drywall After Chimney Removal
If you plan on installing drywall after removing the chimney breast, you’ll first need to prepare the area for drywall installation. From there, you’ll want to frame out the wall where the chimney breast was. You’ll also want to install a header above the opening where the chimney breast was and attach the drywall to the header. Once the drywall is installed, you can texture and paint the wall.
Installing a Fireplace After Installing Drywall
If you’ve already installed drywall after removing the chimney breast, you’ll first need to remove the drywall. Then, you can frame out the wall where the chimney breast was and frame out the opening for the fireplace. Next, you can install the fireplace. From there, you can frame out the wall and install the drywall. Once the drywall is installed, you can texture and paint it and install a mantel.
Conclusion
Removing a chimney breast isn’t a simple DIY project, but it can make a significant difference to the function and aesthetic of your home. Before removing a chimney breast, you’ll need to make sure that the existing flue is vented properly and doesn’t have any obstructions that are blocking the path of the flue. Once the existing flue is clear, you’ll need to break up any brick in the area that is preventing you from removing the chimney breast. You can break up the brick with a sledgehammer or chisel. After the brick is broken up, you can remove the chimney breast with a pry bar or crowbar. Once the chimney breast is removed, you can install drywall or frame out the wall for a fireplace.