Building A Frame Around A Fireplace

While photographing the article build a fireplace brick by brick with experienced mason mike mehaffey deputy editor matt millham brought the fine homebuilding video team along to capture the process of building a modern fireplace inspired by the classic rumford design.

Building a frame around a fireplace.

Go to the fireplace store and select your firebox or fireplace insert before the framing starts. Face frame to build the face frame for the bookshelves i used 1x3s made from poplar and pine pine because they kept running out of poplar at the store. It really isn t too bad. And then build a second wall wall 2 attach it 8 inches from the wall 1.

The floor can be framed out of two 2x4 knee walls with 3 4 osb covering the floor. If you are building on a pre existing concrete pad or one much larger than your fireplace footprint be sure to form or cut expansion joints around the fireplace. Adding these bookcase carcasses really made a difference in my diy built in cabinets around my fireplace. Expansion joints will ensure that the weight of your structure does not crack your concrete pad.

After the basic frame box is built for the fireplace build a floor and ceiling inside the walls where the unit sits. Cy started the project by building a frame above the mantle ledge to create a flat surface between the two places where the brick stuck out. This is the companion video to our recent article on building a rumford style fireplace. The most important part is getting the frame for the fireplace insert correct.

Traditionally a rumford fireplace is characterized by a tall shallow firebox designed to reflect heat out into a room instead of letting it all go up the c. You will want a minimum 4 thick up to 8 thick reinforced concrete pad. The ceiling is done the same way. Then drill through the wood as well.

Wall 2 needs to be framed out like you would a window. Make a copy of the drawings and give them to your framer so he will have them when it s time for the fireplace framing. To attach the wood to the brick you need to first drill a hole in the brick with a concrete drill bit. Get the rough in drawings with dimensions from the fireplace manufacturer s literature or brochure for the firebox you select.

Are you actually looking for a much more challenging and hands on project because you do like we said before have experience with more intense renovations and you fully believe that you can build your own full fireplace from scratch.