Remove brick hearth
by
Joyce Howe
I have a woodstove in my basement with a huge hearth made from brick and slate. The hearth is too big. How do I go about removing it. It was built on top of the cement basement floor. Is this something I could attempt myself?
1 answer
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Depending upon the method of how they constructed it will depend upon the difficulty of the project. I do not think you need to worry about the hearth where it is attached to the floor, assuming it was done after the basement floor was poured first. However if the hearth was constructed as part of the basement it may not be so easy to do. You can rent a small demo hammer that will help you break the bricks apart. I would suggest that you attempt to remove one or two of the bricks where they meet the floor first to see if they are part of the floor or not. If not they should separate fairly easy. If so then you can proceed with the rest of the project. If not, you may need to reconsider both doing this project or having someone else do it for you. Lastly, the hearth is made to protect the floor from hot ash and sparks. Removing this important component of the fireplace raises the risk of fires if you do not replace the area with a masonry or tile surface in the area. So consider this if the fireplace is to be used in the future.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Mar 17, 2013
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