COVERING THE CHIMNEY (OR FIREPLACE) WITH PLASTERBOARD

Create a modern fireplace mantel?

Improve the look of your home?

Nothing could be easier thanks to the plasterboard and its simplicity of processing.

In fact, there are plasterboard sheets with special fibers or specific slabs with high resistance to fire that make it possible to carry out important work such as the fireplace cladding.

Given that it is a complex job and that the advice is always to contact a specialized company that can also issue a certification of the intervention made, if you have a good command of the do it yourself, you could carry out the operation in autonomy, obviously saving money on labor and materials.


Coat a fireplace in 10 steps.

Covering a fireplace is, without a doubt, a simple and fast enough way to renew the look of an old fireplace and make it more modern.

As previously mentioned, this is a fairly complex operation and, if you decide to carry it out yourself, you must be scrupulous in following clear guidelines, trying to best organize each work phase.

  • Drawing a project on paper, then proceeding, with a professional meter to calculate the measurements around the fireplace (height, width and depth of the structure you want to create) and the subsequent transfer of data on the same sheet also choosing the style of the structure that it is intended to be implemented.
  • Take the aluminum profiles and use a marker to report the measurements previously calculated on them. Using the specific scissors for aluminum, cut the profiles according to the marked dimensions (dividing the ones that will make the height, the width and the depth).
  • Attach one to the other with 4.2x13 flat head teks screws (or with a punching plier) inserting the vertical "uprights" profiles to those placed on the perimeter of the chimney thus creating the skeleton of the cladding structure. Note: to fix the "guide" profiles that act as the perimeter of the structure, you can use double-sided adhesive resistant to high temperatures in case you do not have the possibility to drill the surface, or steel expansion plugs.
  • Fill the interspace of the profiles with insulating material (see under the article "deepening") forming a protective layer between the chimney and the outside.
  • Transfer the measurements taken at the beginning onto the plasterboard slabs and draw the shapes of the walls on a carpenter's pencil. Proceed now, with a professional cutter, to cut the shapes.
  • Attach the slabs pre-shaped to the profiles with 3.5x25 self-tapping screws with the help of a drill with depth adjustment to cover all sides of the covering.
  • Now proceed with the grouting of the joints and the heads of the screws and affix the micro-perforated paper to the corners by bending it with the fingers at 90 degrees after moistening it.
  • Then wait for the grout to dry and if necessary, pass a second coat (see the article on the grouting and follow the instructions).
  • Sand the whole with a manual grinder removing the excess of grout present and flattening any differences in the work.
  • You just have to go on decorating and painting the fireplace cover just made.
  • Tools and materials:
  • High quality corrugated cardboard
  • 4x4 roof cloth
  • Meter (flexometer or folding wooden meter)
  • Construction pencil
  • Marker
  • Scissors for aluminum

Pun Punching pliers

  • Screwdriver drill with depth adjustment
  • Professional cutter
  • Saw for plasterboard
  • Manual grinder
  • Magnetic level with vials
  • SDS 6x110 drill bit
  • Brush
  • container
  • Scale
  • Screws teks 4.2x13 flat head
  • Black phosphated self-tapping screws with 3.5x25 nail tip
  • " Upright "profiles in aluminum
  • Aluminum "guide" profiles
  • Rock wool or other insulation material.
  • "Red" plates in plasterboard or specific plates for fire resistance work.
  • Specific filler
  • Painting or finish coating
  • Steel expansion anchors with diameter 6.
  • Double-sided adhesive tape resistant to high temperatures.

 Deepening

The insulation operation of the fireplace is fundamental.

To do it correctly we will have to interpose some insulating material between the fireplace and the plasterboard sheet of the newly created cladding (in correspondence with the internal groove of the profiles).

There are several types of insulating material on sale each with their own performance capabilities. For this type of work, rock wool is certainly the most popular, even though in recent years it has been replaced with synthetic materials that are even more resistant and easier to work with.

The importance of carrying out this work with the utmost care will be fundamental to avoid that, with the continuous use of the chimney, dangerous and unsightly cracks can be generated in the covering due to temperature changes due to the heat produced.

Thanks to the new generation of plasterboard sheets, able to withstand up to 900 degrees in some cases, many believe it is sufficient to apply the slabs without insulating material.

The danger of the intervention, however, suggests the maximum attention and, therefore, it is strongly recommended to insert an insulation material of minimum 2 or 3 cm.

Finishing the fireplace

In order to better finish the coating obtained, it will be necessary to choose a material that harmonizes with the style of the dwelling.

There are many possible solutions but the best will be able to give the fireplace a touch of class, making it look chic and elegant, trying not to make it "cumbersome" and out of place.


Below is a list of materials:

  • STEEL: guarantees an excellent thermal yield, making the coating sophisticated. Recommended in environments such as the kitchen or the living room, it can be glazed or painted.
  • PORCELAIN GRES: in vogue in recent years, this material, thanks to its versatility, can be easily adapted to any home environment.
  • GHISA: thanks to its sealing and propagation properties of the retained heat, it is an excellent technical solution of great elegance.
  • MAIOLICA: as cast iron has properties of release of the retained heat that make it the most functional and versatile material for this type of processing, capable of heating the environment even for a long time after switching off.
  • STONE: it radiates heat in an important way while the fire is lit, but at the same time it cools very quickly. Perfect for taverns and rooms with a classic taste. With the polished stone you will get a smooth finish, while with the "bush-hammered" stone you will have irregular finishes.
  • MARBLE: gives a refined appearance and ensures resistance and solidity to the whole structure.
  • WOOD and BRICK: the wood is used only for the finishes while the bricks are placed in the most critical points. The positive aspect of this mix of materials is that they retain heat for a long time and give the room a rustic and welcoming tone.
  • MINIMAL: a solution adopted above all in recent years that envisages leaving the finishing smooth, perhaps by painting with a contrasting color compared to the rest of the environment and installing only a small frame, in metal or stone, around the fireplace opening.