First, let’s speak about a few of the “fantasy’s” or assumptions most residence homeowners make concerning the means of refacing a fire.
Fantasy #1
My contractor, designer, or architect is aware of the right way to correctly reface a fire as a result of they do it on a regular basis.
Reality: Most contractors or trades individuals have ZERO information of correct fireplace construction or set up. (though, most will say they do) There are lots of different types of fireplaces, and every of those have completely different necessities relying on the producer, sort of building, gasoline use, and native code necessities amongst many extra variables. Because of this, residence homeowners ought to all the time begin this course of by hiring a licensed fire specialist to elucidate what can, and can’t be executed within the refacing course of. It will save money and time by stopping a complete mission from being having to be scrapped and redone correctly.
Fantasy #2
I’m changing my present wooden burning fire over to fuel, and I don’t have to comply with the principles for a wood fireplace anymore.
Reality: A wooden burning fire is all the time going to be a wood burning fireplace. The principles and laws for a wooden fire are centered extra round clearances, air stream, warmth switch, and convection than the precise gasoline getting used. A wooden burning fire can virtually all the time be transformed from fuel again to wooden, and thus has to keep up it’s integrity as a wooden burning equipment. As well as, native codes don’t acknowledge fuel utilization, however relatively equipment sort when concerning laws.
Fantasy #3
There’s such a factor as fire-proof sheet rock.
Reality: Nope! All gypsum primarily based sheetrock is roofed in paper on each side. The hearth rated sheetrock you’ve got seen in residence enchancment shops is definitely utilized in business and multi-family building. It’s hearth score references how lengthy it takes to burn versus it being flammable or not. Belief us that it’s. Subsequently, no quantity of sheet rock can be utilized within the speedy space round a fire opening.
Fantasy #4
If I put tile, concrete board, stone, or brick over wooden framing or sheetrock; it makes it secure and non-combustible.
Reality: It doesn’t. In any respect. Ever. Let’s apply some widespread sense to this. We will all agree that the burner on a range is scorching. We will all agree that cracking an egg immediately onto the burner will make a messy burner and burned egg. So as an alternative of cracking it immediately on the burner, we place a (non-combustible) skillet in between the 2. Now our egg cooks extra managed and slowly, nevertheless it cooks none the much less and can burn if left unchecked.
By protecting a flamable floor with a layer of non-combustible materials all we’re carrying out is growing the period of time it takes for our combustibles to burn. So, very similar to the egg within the frying pan; our flamable wall will ultimately burn too.
Listed below are just a few pictures to point out you ways NOT to reface a fire. Three of those pictures even present paper coated drywall all of the as much as the sting of the open flame fire! A very powerful factor to notice in these pictures is that none of those are DIY by a house owner. In each case these have been giant scale contractors doing remodels in your complete residence, and never considered one of them consulted a fire specialist. Every of those needed to be torn out and redone to cross residence inspections at a later date.
You may go to our social media for extra particulars about fantasy of hearth. Confer with www.CSIA.org or www.NFIcertified.org to discover a certified fire specialist close to you.