Wood Working project

Fireplace Remodel

Im currently remodeling our fireplace so we can have a wood burning insert installed.  The original fireplace was quite ugly, with a not so good brick job and a stupid looking hearth.  This is a rendering of how it would look with our living room remodel.  It appears that originally, the floor for the whole room was at the higher level seen in the background, but the original owner decided to drop the living room floor 9 1/2 inches, which left the hearth as you see it.


Top keep it from being the elephant in the room, years ago we painted the brick.  Better but still ugly.


This is more what we have in mind.  The old hearth removed and granite slab installed at floor level.  We are also going to add a step in front of the hearth since that 9 1/2" rise is a bit of a pain.  We have already added steps at the other two entrances to the room.


To keep down the dust, I built a temporary wall around the fireplace and covered it with plastic sheeting.  To protect the ceiling and floor, I hot glued strips of rubber floor mats to the 2x4s that were the top and bottom plates.  The studs are cut for a tight fit and just held in place with "toenailed" screws.


Here is the wall, you can see the rubber stripes (red, green, and yellow), as well as the cardboard squares that I cut to staple through so that the staples wouldnt cut through the plastic.


Several days with a 5# sledge and chisel, and something like thirty 5 gal. buckets of debris, and the old hearth is history.  So that I can pour a solid base to install the slab on, I brought the masonry down about 3-4" below the floor


I then sawed off the timbers that the old mantel sat on.  and ran a grinder over the brick to knock down the high spots.


 Next I had to rout the flooring so that I can install a 2" border around the slab.  For this, I used the EZ Tool Track and the SSRK (Super Smart Router Kit).  To keep the track from moving, I could put a screw on each side at the one end since that area would be covered by baseboard and shoe mold. 





The other end was held in place by putting a screw in the side channel of each side, into a board that was screwed against the wall at one end and to the temporary wall at the other end.



Ready to rout...


And done, but notice the far end, the router cant get very close to that riser.  Time for a different setup.

Since I didnt have a trim router, I went out and got this Bosch Colt (since I really like my big Bosch), and made a mounting plate for it to mount on the SSRK.  I made the mounting plate out of 1/4" UHMW and made it so that it could be mounted from either of two adjacent sides, giving me the ability to have the router mounted in the opposite corner and then be able to mount the whole thing so that the router was on one side or the other.  This is set to do the routing close to that riser.


 Here the router base is mounted on the other side so I can do the other end of the opening, up next to the fireplace.


I then used my Dremel Multi-tool to saw that last little bit, most of which will be covered with baseboard and shoe mold, but needed to go to allow the trim to be easily placed.

That is all for now, Ill be back at it tomorrow and report some more later.