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This guide gives a basic overview of how a traditional fireplace is normally put together. It isn’t intended to replace the fitting instructions for the individual products or the advice of your installer. We’d always recommend using a competent fireplace fitter. Gas appliances need a Gas Safe registered engineer, while solid fuel installations should be carried out by a suitably qualified installer.
Before any fitting begins, unpack the fireplace and check that all the parts are there and undamaged. It also makes sense to loosely position the main components so you can see how the surround, insert or chamber and hearth work together.
If you’ve bought one of our fireplace packages, the main components have already been selected to work together with the fuel option chosen.
The fireplace opening needs to suit the fireplace you’re fitting. Older chimney breasts have often been altered over the years, so an existing opening may need making larger or smaller to suit the new fireplace. There isn’t one opening size that works for every fireplace. A tiled insert, arched insert, stove chamber and electric fire can all need something different. This is why we’d choose the fireplace first and then prepare the opening to suit it.
If you’re using an existing chimney for gas or solid fuel, we’d also have the chimney swept and checked before the fireplace is fitted.
The hearth normally goes in first because the rest of the fireplace is positioned from it. It needs to be fitted level and in the correct position on the chimney breast. If the hearth isn’t level, it can affect everything that sits on top of it. The type of hearth also matters. Gas, electric, bioethanol and solid fuel fireplaces don’t always use the same hearth construction, so make sure the hearth supplied is suitable for the fuel you’re using.
You can read more in our fireplace hearth guides.
Once the hearth is in position, the insert or chamber can be fitted. On a traditional cast iron fireplace, this may be an arched or tiled insert. With a stove fireplace, you’ll normally have a chamber forming the inside of the opening. The way this is fitted depends on the fireplace, the depth of the surround rebate and the fuel being used. The exact fixing and sealing method will depend on the fireplace, so we’d leave that to the installer.
The surround is then positioned around the insert or chamber and sits on the hearth.
Before fixing it, check that:
Different surround materials are fixed in different ways.
Wooden surrounds, limestone and marble fireplaces shouldn’t all be treated as though they’re the same product, so follow the instructions for the surround you’re fitting.
Traditional cast iron fireplaces used for solid fuel may require the area behind the insert to be prepared and backfilled correctly. This is an important part of this type of installation because the fireplace needs to cope with the heat produced when the fire is in use. Your installer should follow the requirements for the particular insert and solid fuel setup.
How a fireplace is fitted depends heavily on what you’re going to use in it. An electric fireplace installation can be very different from a fireplace being prepared for a gas fire or solid fuel. The fireplace may look almost identical from the front, but what happens behind it can be completely different. For that reason, decide on the fuel before the installation is completed rather than fitting the fireplace first and working it out afterwards.
Once a stone surround has been fitted, allow any adhesives and other fitting materials to cure properly before finishing the surface. Natural limestone may need light finishing and sealing after installation.
If you’re fitting one of our limestone fireplaces, our guide on how to seal a limestone fireplace explains the process in more detail.
Don’t use the fireplace until the installation is complete and any adhesives, mortar or other materials have had the time recommended by the installer or manufacturer to cure. For gas or solid fuel, the appliance and installation should also have been checked and signed off where required before use. If you’re ordering a fireplace from us and aren’t sure what your fitter will need, send us a photo of the chimney breast and the fireplace you’re considering. We’re always happy to help with product dimensions and explain how the different parts of the fireplace are designed to fit together.
Phone
01773 718718
Email
sales@castfireplaces.co.uk
