How to finish a fireplace: plaster, tiling, stone

A fireplace in the house or in the country is a place of attraction for the whole family. Of course, I want it to be beautiful, but practicality will not hurt either - soot and soot, dirt or tar from firewood, all this often ends up on the walls of the portal. For this reason, the surface must be easy to clean. In addition, the finish of the fireplace must be heat-resistant - although the sides of the fireplace are heated far from such temperatures as the stove, this requirement should not be neglected. Not many materials meet these requirements. These are heat-resistant plaster, special types of ceramic tiles and stone - natural or decorative.

Fireplace plaster

Plaster is one of the simple and practical options for decorating a brick fireplace. Several years ago, plastered surfaces were whitewashed or painted. Today it is possible to apply a decorative layer with a different texture on top of ordinary plaster.

Plastering of a fireplace can be fragmentary

Types of plaster for fireplaces

Decorating a fireplace with plaster is popular for the reason that any design can be developed. The second plus - if done correctly, achieve a smooth surface, the finish is beautiful and durable. For plastering fireplaces, the same compounds are used as for brick stoves. Although the heating temperatures of the surfaces are different, the plaster mixes are made the same. There are two options: do the plaster yourself or buy a ready-made one. If you have no experience working with clay and determining its fat content, it is better to buy. Store plaster for fireplaces and stoves contains additives and additives that make the surface more durable, cracks appear less often in it.

Fireplace plaster mixes

Typically, each manufacturer has two formulations with different properties. The first one is basic, for rough finishing. It can be applied in a fairly thick layer - up to 10 mm. After drying, the second layer is laid - the finishing one. It contains more finely ground substances, is applied in a thin layer - usually up to 3 mm, the surface is smooth. Such a surface can already be painted if it is plastered evenly) or decorative plaster can be applied.

If you want to finish the fireplace at a minimum cost, you can make plastering compounds from clay, sand and lime yourself. But, once again, we repeat, without experience with clay, it is difficult to ensure that homemade plaster does not crack. Compositions for plastering a fireplace for making them with your own hands are different, here are a few proven ones:

• Clay-limestone:
  • 1 part of clay and hydrated lime + 2 parts of sand;
  • based on slaked lime - into 2 parts of lime, one part of gypsum and one part of sand.
• Cement-clay: one part of clay and cement (M 500) + 2 parts of sand;

In order for the plaster solution for the fireplace to be more durable, reinforcing fibers are added to it. Previously, it was finely chopped straw, later - asbestos fibers, and today glass or fiber fibers are mainly added. The share of this additive is small - 0.1-0.2 parts. It is added to dry components (cement and sand), everything is mixed. The dry mixture is added to the clay and / or lime dough, mixed thoroughly again, water is added if necessary.

It is better to take lime already slaked, in the form of a lime dough.If you extinguish it at home, unreacted particles always remain, which, during the operation of the fireplace, are then extinguished, destroying the plastered surface. With regard to sand, its amount is precisely selected depending on the fat content of the clay. The solution must be sufficiently flexible. The fat content of the solution is checked with a piece of wood. Dip it into the solution and remove. If an even layer 2-3 mm thick remains on the surface, the solution is normal. If the layer is thick and lumpy, add sand, if the stick is almost clean, add clay.

Normal fat solution

The clay is pre-soaked (for 2 days or until all the lumps are dehydrated), then rubbed through a metal sieve with a 2 cm mesh. The ground clay dough is pushed through the mesh again, but already with a fine mesh - 0.5-0.7 mm.

The sand needs to be quarried, it must be clean and dry. It is also sieved before use.

For those who do not want to get along with home-made compositions, we will cite several companies that produce plaster for fireplaces and stoves. The following compositions showed themselves normally:

• Plitonite super fireplace refractory;
• Petromix KU;
• heat-resistant plaster Terracotta;
• Bossnab;
• RSh parade;
• rtner;
• HЕFNERPUTZ stove plaster.

The list includes both domestic and European manufacturers. It cannot be said that Russian trains are worse, but it is easier to work with imported ones.

Features of plastering stoves and fireplaces

The very technique of applying the solution is no different: a spatula or a special bucket is applied (sprayed) a certain layer, then it is leveled (you can use beacons). The main points are to prepare the surface of the fireplace for plastering:

• First, all the old finish is removed from the walls, if any - paint, lime, the remains of plaster, mortar, etc. Only clean brick should remain.
• For better adhesion of the plaster mortar to the surface, the seams are deepened by about 1-1.5 cm. They take a jointing, chisel or screwdriver and scrape the mortar out of the seams.
• All the gaps that exist are sealed with a repair compound or heat-resistant sealant (which can withstand heating up to 800 ° C).
• When everything is ready, take a long-bristled brush and clean the surface well. It must be clean.
• Next are the options:
  • If the surface of the fireplace is relatively flat (less than 5 mm drop), the walls can be moistened and the plaster can be applied.
  • If, due to the curvature of the surface, the layer has to be made more than 5 mm, reinforcement is necessary. A metal mesh with a fine mesh is stuffed onto the walls of the fireplace. It is fastened with nails that are hammered into the seams (the seams can not be embroidered, or embroidered, but not so deep). In order for the hats to hold the mesh, they put on metal washers larger than the size of the cell. Plaster is applied over this stack. In this case, you can be sure that the plaster will not fall off.

Fireplace after plastering

Before you start plastering the fireplace, read the instructions on the package carefully. It usually describes under what conditions and how to apply the plaster. But the masters advise to melt the fireplace, warm up the walls to 60 ° C, then moisten the surface and start plastering. The walls are heated to make the brick take its "working" dimensions. In this case, it is less likely that the plaster will tear when heated. Moistening with water is necessary so that the mortar is not too dry: the brick is hygroscopic. If it is dry, it quickly draws water out of the plaster and it becomes too dry, does not harden to normal. The result is cracks in the surface.

A few more points regarding drying. When plastering a fireplace, apply at least two layers. The second can be applied only after the first has dried completely. To speed up drying, you can organize a draft, but you cannot heat the fireplace. The same applies to the second - finishing - layer.

See the following video for plastering technology for stoves and fireplaces.

Facing the fireplace with tiles and porcelain stoneware

The fireplace is decorated with tiles or porcelain stoneware using special heat-resistant glue. Not all tiles are suitable for such works. It should tolerate heat well, be strong, dense (with small pores), plus it should be easy to clean.

Decorating a fireplace with ordinary ceramic tiles is a lottery. If you're lucky, it will stand fine, if not, after a while the glaze layer will be covered with a network of thinnest cracks. The view will be "not very", it will be difficult to wash. If possible, it is better to use special materials:

• Terracotta. The tile with an unglazed surface is distinguished by its characteristic color, thanks to which it got its name. It has a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of a brick, therefore it does not crack.
  

  Terracotta - tiles for finishing fireplaces and stoves

• Majolica. This is the same terracotta tiles only with glaze applied to the front side. The technology is more complex, the price is higher. Decorating a fireplace with majolica requires careful development of a sketch - you won't be able to cut such a tile. High qualifications of the master are also required - the slightest deviations are striking. Apparently, for this reason, and even because of the very high price, one can often see fireplaces and stoves with fragments of majolica. I must say that these fragments greatly decorate and enliven the interior.
  

  Majolica - colorful and beautiful

• Heat-resistant clinker tiles. It is made from a mixture of several types of clay, with the addition of chamotte. It is molded, pressed, then fired. The result is a thin - 9-12 mm thick - and durable tile. Colors - from whitish gray to brown.
  

  Heat-resistant clinker tiles

• Porcelain stoneware. The production technology is similar - first the composition is pressed, then fired. The components differ: in addition to several types of clay, quartz sand, fine granite or marble chips, dyes, oxides and metal salts are added. The structure of porcelain stoneware is low-porous, it tolerates both high and low temperatures. The technology makes it possible to obtain material that imitates marble, other natural stones, terracotta, clinker and majolica. The disadvantage of porcelain stoneware is that it is difficult to cut and is heavy. For facing fireplaces, slabs of small thickness are used, therefore the weight is not terrible, but you can give it to a company for cutting (you just need to know the exact dimensions of the required fragments).
  

  Furnishing the fireplace with porcelain stoneware - you can develop a design in any style

• Tiles. The production technology is not much different - the clay is molded and fired in a kiln. The main difference is the form and method of installation. The tiles are installed during the laying of the stove or fireplace - the fragments are fixed in the seams with wires. So finishing the finished fireplace with tiles is impossible.
  

  Tile installation process

Special tiles for facing fireplaces and stoves are made in small or medium format, and the same granite is found in large tiles. Seamless styling is certainly attractive, but there is no guarantee that such a finish will not fall off. The coefficient of thermal expansion is quite different, because of this, incidents are possible.

Technology for mounting tiles on the walls of the fireplace and chimney

All of the listed types of tiles, except for tiles, are mounted on fireplaces using a single technology. Tiling the fireplace begins with the preparatory stage, and it coincides one-to-one with the one described above: clean the surface, expand the seams, heat up to 60 ° C, moisten and you can start tiling the fireplace.

For large irregularities, plaster the fireplace. Mortars - any, containing clay and cement, but not containing lime. Preparation is standard, as is the plastering process. The difference is that the second leveling layer does not need to be applied.

It is necessary to lay the tiles on the walls of the fireplace after complete drying.The laying technology is standard, the difference is in the thickness of the seams. For a fireplace, it is better to make them larger (to compensate for the different amount of thermal expansion), therefore, instead of crosses, pieces of drywall with a thickness of 9.5 mm are used.

Glue is applied to the tiles

The glue is applied to the wall or tile, leveled with a notched trowel. The tile is pressed against the surface, shaking it from side to side, and set in the desired position. Set the distance between the fragments using drywall spacers. Take it out 3-4 hours after installation.

The tiles on the fireplace are left to dry. The exact time depends on the glue used and the weather, usually indicated on the package with glue. The last step is filling the seams. A special grout is also used, it is better to buy it together with glue - from the same company, so that there are no problems with compatibility. The process is also standard - the composition is diluted with water according to the instructions, the seams are filled with a rubber spatula or from a construction syringe. The freshly applied mortar is leveled, forming a beautiful seam. The excess is wiped off with a soft cloth.

It is convenient to maintain the seams between the tiles using pieces of drywall

There are tips from the masters:

• To ensure that the tile does not fall, attach a metal mesh with a fine mesh to the wall. Better yet, hammer nails into the seams and braid them with soft steel wire to create a wire frame. This option is better because the mesh can be made thicker in difficult places. This step is necessary if you are going to mount heavy porcelain stoneware or large format tiles.
• In order not to put a thick layer of glue, apply it both on the wall and on the tiles, and here and there remove the excess with a notched trowel.
• Before laying tiles, lay them out on the floor so you can realistically estimate how attractive the finish will be.
• After laying each tile, remove excess mortar from the joints. They will then be filled with a special paste. The surface of the tile is immediately wiped clean - if the glue hardens, it is almost impossible to clean it.

The main thing in this work is to ensure that no air cavities form under the finish. Air has a high coefficient of expansion and, when heated, it will someday tear the tile from the wall.

Video tutorials on decorating a fireplace with tiles

No matter how much you read about how to do it, it is much more useful to look - you can grasp more details.

How to veneer a fireplace with stone

Technologically, decorating a fireplace with a stone is not much different from laying tiles. The difference is in working with the material itself, but there are almost no technical features. The only thing is that when using natural limestone, be sure to wrap the fireplace with a net. Without it, it will fall off.

Decorating the fireplace with stone is one of the options

Features of working with artificial gypsum stone

This type of decorative stone is inexpensive and lightweight; fireplaces can be trimmed, especially without overloading the floors. There are only some nuances, without which you will not achieve a good result.

The technology for the production of gypsum stone is such that on each element there are some irregularities, nodules, protrusions. We grind them with a knife, since the plaster is cut without problems. We grind each element of the cladding so that a frame with an angle of 45 ° (or so) forms at the back, along the perimeter.

Moreover, often the corner elements of a plaster decorative stone are several millimeters higher than an ordinary one from the same collection. To make the cladding look monolithic, you also have to remove this difference - grind it down. When all the cladding elements are fitted, they can be glued in place. Heat-resistant glue is used for facing fireplaces, although with the correct design it almost does not heat up.

Working with natural stone

Most often, fireplaces are faced with natural stone, sawn into plates. It is also called flagstone or stone tiles. The shape of all the fragments is different, you have to adjust to make everything look beautiful.In this case, it is definitely better to first lay out the whole picture on some plane, select and process the elements. Only after the mosaic has been folded can it be glued. The entire technology of installation on the walls of the fireplace is described above and is practically no different. The whole process can be seen in the video.

Interesting options for finishing fireplaces (photo)

All the methods described above can be combined to create finishes in different styles. Sometimes it turns out very beautifully. We post some already implemented ideas below.

Very interesting fireplace design

This option will fit into modern styles.

Decorating a fireplace with mosaic is especially good on rounded shapes, where other materials are very problematic to use.

Combinations of different types of artificial stone with wood fragments

Planking of the fireplace portal and chimney

Combination of plaster and tiles

There are two options to achieve this effect - paint an existing brick fireplace or cover with clinker tiles.

This is polished porcelain stoneware

This is unpolished porcelain stoneware, small format. As you can see, it fits well into rounded shapes. Horizontal surfaces and columns - also porcelain stoneware with a similar texture, but already in the form of slabs

Designer version of the cap, as well as finishing

Facing the fireplace with stone can also be done outdoors

Terracotta in combination with a wooden shelf that repeats the relief of the tiles

Smooth clinker tiles - strict and functional

This is a Czech stove tile. Mounted on special racks

Majolica looks very decorative

Non-standard design option

Combination of plaster and tiles

Tile inserts - beauty