Hi there the next articles will describe the sections we have on our website so customers can then head straight to the section they require for the item they want without having to navigate around our website the first section is Accessories and Care Products. This section has care and repair products for all your fireplaces plus spares for the gallery range of fireplaces.
Here at Cast Fireplaces we supply a good range of products such as slate oils for hearth and surround maintenance, Limestone sealers to keep your surround free from stains along with high temp paint and black lead grate polish to keep your fires in good condition. We also stock coal paint, Graphite and metal polish so there’s not much fireplace related care products that we don’t sell. We also stock a range of replacement ash pans and firebricks even including cast iron fire backs so that if you do ever need any spares for you gallery fireplace I’m sure we will be able to help you. All items in this section comes with free postage to the UK so if you do need any fireplace accessories or spares just head straight to that section and order whatever you need if your not sure which product to use on which fireplace just ring us we are here to offer free help and advice.
Archive for the ‘Fireplace Care’ Category
We Sell Fireplace Accessories and Spares
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009Restoring an Original Cast Iron Fireplace
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Restoring an original Cast Iron Fireplace is a subject we get asked about a lot due to the fact that we sell Reproduction Victorian Fireplaces. Although we only sell new Gallery Fireplaces we are more than happy to pass on any info and help we can and supply the products you need to restore it with.
Cast Iron Fireplaces are the most likely type of fireplace that need restoring it is easy to restore yourself and if you remove the fireplace so you can work on it a proper height it makes the job far easier. Don’t be tempted to use a blowtorch to remove the paint this can easily crack the cast iron and the fumes are toxic due to old lead in the paint. We suggest using Nitromors paint stripper or any equivalent. Scrape away the dissolving paint using plastic or wooden scraper for the decorative details use a stiff nylon brush don’t be to hasty to remove paint as there will be many layers and it takes time for the paint stripper to work. After all the paint has been removed wipe down with white spirits do not use water or the cast iron will start to rust. A base coat of Heat Temp Paint can then be applied and a top coat if you want the Matt Black finish or if you prefer the more traditional look to the fireplace apply Black Lead Grate polish with a brush leave to dry then buff to the required finish. This fireplace is now complete and will look good for years to come just make sure it’s kept dry and never clean with water to avoid the fireplace going rusty.
 
How do look after my Fireplace Timber Mantel
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009Taking Care of your Timber Surround is quite really a simple matter for starters its not ideal to let your wooden fireplace become wet in any way and try to avoid sitting hot cups on the mantel shelf to avoid the white ring effect.
Pine Surrounds are made from solid pine timber, which is classed as a soft wood they are stained with our own hand mixed Water based stain made from Van-Dyke Crystals we apply 1-2 coats of stain depending on the colour we wish to achieve we then leave to dry and add a hand waxed finish using a Morells wax to get the look we want.
For upkeep of your Pine Surround you should only need to lightly wire-wool surface using 0000 grade then reapply a coat of wax and buff to the sheen you require this should be done once a year or more often if required over the years the surround will build up a patina which will look more and more like antique pine this is the true finish of pine and looks great.
For our Solid Oak Surrounds such as the Oak Stourhead its finished with an Oiled finish such as finishing oil or Tung oil this is 2-3 coats of this oil is applied prior to delivery of these surrounds and are quite water resistant. You should re-oil surrounds every year using a good quality Oil and apply with a clean cloth and work the oil into the surface of the Wooden surround remove any excess after 10 minutes and then let the oil soak into the timber once its dried that’s all that has to be done and its ready to be refitted.
For all of our Fireplace Mantels If you do have water stains or heat marks the surface needs to be resanded and stain coats applied before waxing or oiling please Contact us for further advice on what you need to do and what to use as we can supply any Stains or oils you require
Restoring a Fireplace To Former Glory
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Â After using for a while particularly for solid fuel use the fireplace you have will show cosmetic signs of wear and tear this can depend on what type of fuel you have been using whether its coal or wood generally the hotter the burning fuel the more upkeep you will have to make.
Full polished Fireplaces are very simple to maintain we tend to use WD40 for normal monthly cleaning but once every 6 months we tend to use Metal Polish which is applied with a cloth working in small sections in a circular motion its polished into the cast and the excess removed and then buffed with clean cloth to finish to a shiny finish this paste removes all the grime left behind and the Cast iron will sparkle like new it can also be used on brass chrome etc.
For our Black Fireplaces them come from the factory with a tough heat resistant matt black spray applied to the surface this will not normally come off or flake away so it can be dusted with a dry cloth to keep it clean DO NOT use Water on it as this causes rusting. Around the Basket area of the fire this causes white deposits to build up these need to be removed with a brush and then normally sprayed over with Heat Temp Matt Black Paint which will cover all the exiting heat marks be sure to spray evenly over the cast iron back to ensure colour match.
For our Fireplaces that have been Black Leaded we use Black Lead Grate Polish this is a traditional Black lead Graphite finish similar to the Old Zebo product which my granny used to polish her range with. It’s very simple to use and is applied by a cloth or small paint brush cover the area you are going to do wiping excess away at all times leave to dry for half an hour then buff to your desired finish with a clean cloth or with a polishing brush this method is very effective and I think it really makes the features of the fireplace stand out just have a look at the photos below the top one shows before and the bottom one is after black lead has been applied its not bright silver more of a pewter look
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Matt Black Pembroke
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Black Leaded Pembroke
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