Has any one done this?

JamesRW

I have purchased a 1960's home that has a fireplace in the basement. It still has the original facing on it, that I believe is "faux" lava rock.
Has any one removed this stuff? Is it hollow?
Any suggestions on how to proceed and what to expect are much appreciated!

joecaption

A picture sure would be nice.
Any lava rock I've ever seen is chunks of rough stone and it's not hollow.
It's used all the time inside in fireplaces to look like ambers or burned wood.

titanoman

It's not hollow, but it's pretty light.
Wait. You said the facing, right?
Chicken wire nailed over felt paper.

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy S2

TarheelTerp

My late 50's basement "hearth" is real brick.
I'm not touching it.

I'd be surprised if yours is anything other than brick as well.
A sure sign will be the brick chimney.

JamesRW

I can elaborate on the structure - the picture is of the fireplace in the basement level. There is also another fireplace directly above it in the kitchen area - both wood burning. The openings on these are 30" high x 45" wide for the basement, and 30" high x 41" wide in the kitchen.
The flues/chimneys go directly up to the roof, but they have to run up a 3rd level before the roof.
The fireplace in the kitchen is solid brick - looks great! But the basement one is larger at all points, so I'm thinking that there is a brick structure BEHIND this "lava rock". Funny, it's the only thing in the entire house that really dates it!

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DangerMouse

I do not think that's 'faux' anything. It looks to be fieldstone to me.
Real rock, probably brick behind it.

DM

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TarheelTerp

I agree on the brick behind it (see pic below)
But that fieldstone is clearly veneer... a late 70's early 80's DIY project.
That inlaid beam mantle thing is the closing argument.

example of the 1959 era basement brick hearth underneath

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mae-ling

My guess is veneer. But i been wronge before. So much easier to tell if one is right there.

diybrad

I purchased a house that was built in 1958 and it had a very similat fire place in it. Mine was definitley not veneer. It was real stone and probably weighed a couple thousand pounds. I had to completely destroy it to remove the stone.

It was a nightmare.

md2lgyk

On the other hand, I bought a house built in 1959 with a similar fireplace, and it WAS veneer. Concrete stuff like Cultured Stone.

DangerMouse

In the house I grew up in, my father built our fireplaces, brick downstairs and REAL fieldstone upstairs over the brick. It was very much real. I think it was called flagstone or fieldstone, but it was HEAVY!!

DM

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Michael Olding

You could probably resurface the fireplace with a cement stucco overlay product or tear off the face and redo the facing with brick, tile or what have you. Either way it will be a pricey little project.

DangerMouse

Yup, and either way it's going to be a MESSY undertaking too!

DM

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jomama45

This is what I was going to ask, because, as I understand, your concern is whether it's supporting the upper brick veneer or not. You need to verify that the back wall that you're measuring off of is in line with the wall on the first floor. If the lower FP is at least 5-6" wider in each direction than the upper, than you're likely in luck.
In my experiences, most FP's are corbel, or reduced, between floors and at the final ceiling line, so you can "usually" remove the lower veneer w/o affecting the upper.

AN additional question: What does the return look like at the firebox? It looks like there's a 3-4" angle iron supporting the veneer, making me lean towards it being full veneer.

bcbud3

WHOA!!! Anybody else notice the ghost in the picture???