Removing Brick Front on Fireplace

[Groovyhouse]

We have really ugly brick and no mantel on our fireplace. We would like to install a maple mantel/surround with slate inserts. Is it better to remove the brick front or cover it? The brick looks as though it will come down fairly easily, but we're not sure if there is some advantage to leaving it up.

[Jimmer]

hey Groovyhouse


If you are still looking for some help on this... I have done a bit of work removing/changing fireplaces. My first concern with removing part of the facade is for safety. Are you going to have enough clearance to your combustible materials?
If you remove some of the brick are you going to expose open voids up or down the chimney? Also there is probably a steel piece of angle iron embedded in the bricks across the top of your opening you have to be careful of. It carries the load of the bricks above the opening and is there for a reason.
If you can leave the bricks and use tile or slate around the opening and then your custom maple surround it would be the safest and least messy in my opinion.
Gook luck, Jim

[Groovyhouse]

Thank you! Our friend, who is a contractor, suggested the same. He is going to fit our surround around the brick so it is still will be flush to the wall. It is helpful to know the safety concerns as well.

[Nina]

I was very excited to find this forum through Google.... ... The fireplace in the sitting area of our home was covered in ick brick in the 70's.. it's just horrid. The fireplace upstairs is stucco, so I think that this one was originally stucco too. How would one go about removing fake bricks?... and for that matter the hideous tiles they glued? onto the beautiful wood mantel. (I say glued because you can actually see the wood grain through the tile... there isn't any grout).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Nina

[Troy]

I've never heard the expression "Ick Brick." That is great!

As far as I know, there is no easy way to remove the fake brick and tile. One by one and a little old-fashioned elbow grease, I guess.

The real problem comes in repairing and refurbishing what is underneath. Are you prepared to do this as well?

Welcome to the forum! Glad you found us!

[Nina]

Well.... if YOU'VE never heard of ick brick before that would explain why it didn't turn up on the Google search. Is this something I made up?? I don't even remember... Thank you for the advice.. it is always easier tp take something apart than put it back together. Perhaps it would be better to look into how much work stucco is before dismantling that fireplace. At least it's not an emergency.

Glad to be here!