Author Archives: Dan Gibbs

This morning I was sat having a treat for breakfast (peanut butter and jam on toast), while enjoy the breakfast my eyes were wandering around the room and I happened to look at our fireplace. In our living room we have a Bedford 48" surround and a matching mirror which even after 5 years looks as good as the day it was installed.

At the time when I installed the fireplace and mirror we didn't supply concealed fixings so I simply used brass mirror brackets which is what we used to recommend. Normally you would cut the brackets into the plaster and fill over them, but we had just decorated so I just installed them on top of the plaster. After looking at these mirror brackets I thought to myself I wish we had concealed fixings when I had installed the fireplace.

We now provide a free set of concealed fixings with all of our wooden fireplaces so that nobody has to sit in front of their fireplace thinking the same thing as me. We also supply the fixings separately if you have any other jobs you might need them for, you can find them here.

I referred to the Concealed fixings as "magic" in the title and that is because I believe they are absolutely fantastic, easy to fit (when you know what you're doing), give a solid fix, allow you to remove the wooden surround without having to remove any brackets and you do not see any fixings.

The fixings work in the same way as a French cleat it compromises of two fixings; one mounted to the wall and the other to the back of the surround and when you lower the surround onto the wall the fixings engage each other and sit tight. When you lift the surround up by around 1" the surround will come free from the wall again, magic!

Although I would say fitting concealed fixings is easy, that is because I have used them many times myself. For somebody looking at them for the first time they don't appear as simple as they are. So what we have done is compiled a set of instructions for anybody to use which you can download here, feel free to have a look and if you do get stuck at any point just give us a call.

When you start your search for a new Fireplace one of the most vital starting points is identifying what you can and can't have. Because every home is different we really do recommend you have a professional chimney sweep come and take a peek and definitely give the flue a good old clean.

There is a general guide line on identifying your chimney and flue but like I said it is really worth having a professional check for any possible faults and to be 100% sure.

The following illustrations and descriptions should give you a good idea of where you can start.

Class 1 Chimney Type

Commonly in older houses, earlier than 1960. The class 1 chimney is identifiable by 7" (180mm) or greater diameter flue. The existing chimney must be structurally sound, please check before the installation of a new fireplace.

Class 1 chimneys as long as they are fault free are suitable for all fireplace types.

Class 2

Class 2 chimneys are unfortunatley not suitable for solid fuel fires, but you can use gas.Either an older house where the existing chimney has been lined by a propietary steel flue or a newer house with a steel flue built in. This chimney type is identifiable by a 5" (130mm) diameter flue and a steel flue terminal.

Pre-Cast Flue

Modern houses generally later than 1960 often have a pre-cast concrete chimney system, identifiable by a rectangular box section flue and a terminal, as illustrated in the picture.

Pre-cast flues are again not suitable for solid fuel fires and can only use specific gas fires. However the range of gas fires has increased hugely over the past few years.

No Chimney

Modern houses often have no chimney. You can use a modern decorative electric fire with up to 2kW heat output, or a gas powerflue fire.

Unfortunate accidents happen when living around a busy fireplace, one such accident recently happened to a customer who dropped their fire poker on to the hearth cracking one of the tiles. In a bit of a panic the customer rang us fearful she might have to replace the entire hearth. This however is not the case as a simple 20 minute job can be done to replace the tile and have it looking brand new again.

Now the first major thing needing to be done is getting the correct tile, not only the style and colour but also the shade. Every week we order hearth tiles from our suppliers for customers needing repairs or making a complete hearth. With every batch that comes in you can pretty much guarantee that the shade of the colour will vary from the previous week, this is due to the manufacturing and firing process of the tiles. So with this in mind the very best thing to do is remove the broken tile and send it to us so we can try to match it as best as possible.

Once the tile is removed you need to clean the surface with a soft brush removing any tile fragments and dust. This will give you a nice even surface to lay the new tile on. Although I didn't believe when I first heard it but; PVA glue is the best adhesive to use to glue the new tile on with you just literally cover the surface area of the hearth where the new tile will be laid and place the tile giving it approximately 1 - 2 hours to set. Once the glue has set you can grout the joints around the damaged area with the matching grout colour. Job done!

When ordering your replacement tile we have a few different options available other than colour. We have; REX tile which is a rounded edge corner tile, an RE tile which is a rounded edge tile and plain tiles which are, well plain on all four sides. Tiles which form the sides rising up are just plain tiles cut in half.

So now you have all the information you need to go forth and repair that hearth! But try your best not to damage the hearth in the first place, prevention is better than cure.

In our twenty plus years of trading we’ve established a reputation for exceptional hand-made wooden fire surrounds, all made on site here in Lincoln by our experienced craftsmen at Knapp woodworking.  Demand has led to us offering our lovely well-balanced pine or oak mantelshelf.  It would look perfect on a bare chimney breast over a cast iron stove or cooking range.

It would work wonderfully in any room but for the kitchen it makes me think of country kitchens filled with the smell of a slow-cooked stew or sweet apple pie. Whenever you watch any of these cookery programmes promoting seasonal veg, there is often a mantelshelf over the range cooker with a few squash or pumpkins stored on it ready to add to a hearty meal. Perhaps the cold weather is just making me hungry?

The price of our Keswick Mantelshelf wouldn’t make you go hungry. Priced at from £275.00 it’s great value. Order the unfinished pine option if you would like to paint yours to match your room. Click here to read more .

The Keswick really finishes a room off beautifully and instantly looks like a period feature.  The shelf is fixed using ‘invisible’ fittings that are hidden inside so no shelf space is lost.

Just as a fire surround at Christmas makes you want to adorn it with holly, the Keswick mantelshelf might make you want to reach up for a wooden spoon so you can stir that delicious stew. Don’t forget to invite me round, will you?

Decorate your Fireplace at Christmas

Victorian fireplaces would like you to think about your own Fireplace and getting it prepared for the festivities.

Yes Christmas is just around the corner 29 day's to that lovely time, that smell of the Christmas dinner being prepared, I can taste the smell of those mince pies wafting into the lounge where all sanity has gone, wrapping paper strewn all over the floor as children rip away to find what's inside. Baffled Grand parents with new electronic games, Huge flat screen TVs blaring out the new xbox game,- lost instruction books, - damn no batteries!! - "I am going to walk the dog".

Its a lovely time and no Fireplaces to think about, well only yours,  the one to get decorated. Here is a link to a website I found that you might find interesting. Kirstie Allsopp and decorate your fireplace with these great decoration tips.

Now if you haven't got a fireplace perhaps now is the time  to think about it just in time for Christmas delivery or Even the new year and beat the vat increases, by ordering it now.

This fireplace featured in this Christmas picture is a Large Adam mantel hand carved in solid pine is a fine example of the type of work that is created in the great historical city of Lincoln.

Manufactured by Knapp Woodworking and sold here at Victorian fireplaces.

Now have you thought what's the best way to decorate your mantel.