Many owners of their own home dream of a real fireplace. It is very pleasant to sit near it on winter evenings, watching the play of the flame. It is quite expensive to build a fireplace. Therefore, many owners of private houses decide to build it with their own hands.
To create a fireplace that will meet all the standards and requirements, be beautiful and durable, you need to consider the technique of this work. How to build a fireplace will be discussed in detail later.
Preparatory work
When considering how to build a corner fireplace or any other with your own hands, you must first learn about the features of preparing for this process. A number of issues should be resolved, on which the durability of the structure and its correct application will depend in the future.
First of all, you need to create a building plan. Here you need to specify the place where the fireplace will be located. You should also determine in advance how it will look. There are different types of designs that can harmoniously fit into the existing interior. Then you will need to purchase all the necessary tools and the optimal amount of materials.
Fireplacerequires pouring the foundation. The procedure is carried out in summer or autumn. It is necessary that the air temperature is from 15 to 25 ºС. Also, the street and indoors should not be damp. Therefore, work is not carried out during the rainy season.
When learning how to build a fireplace in a house, you need to consider the features of its location in the room. The design can be built into the wall or be attached to it. There are also free standing fireplaces. When choosing a place, you need to take into account that there will not be so much heat from it. Most of it will be released in front of the fuel chamber. Therefore, there should be enough space in front of the structure so that the owners of the house can sit nearby if they wish.
The best solution would be to build a fireplace on the opposite wall from the entrance. They don’t build it opposite the windows (there will be a draft). You can embed the building in a corner. The fireplace is not placed near the steps and in the way of drafts. The chimney is taken outside only if the climate in the area is mild.
Varieties
Before you learn how to build a fireplace with your own hands, you need to consider their existing types. They differ in configuration and style. The choice depends on the style of the interior and the taste preferences of the owners of the house.
The fireplace can be Provencal (rustic). It is made in country style. This design is most often finished with stone. Such a fireplace is suitable for the style of Provence, country, ethno.
The classic English design style differs only in appearance from the previous look. He has a concisesquare shape. This is a fairly large building. However, the design is chosen elegantly.
Alpine fireplace is a hearth. It will be possible to sit around him in a large company. This type of construction is suitable only for non-residential premises. It is ideal for giving.
Dutch fireplace is a rather complicated look. It is quite rare to equip it with your own hands. If the room is decorated in a modern style, then the fireplace should be appropriate. It may have an unusual shape.
The mini-fireplace is distinguished by the presence of a minimum number of parts. It's just a small box. You can also decorate a high-tech fireplace. It must have a modern look. Such designs are made to order.
Sizes
To learn how to build a fireplace correctly, you need to perform the correct calculation of the building. First of all, you need to determine the area and volume of the room in which such a structure will be created. The size of the firebox is easy to calculate. The volume of the room must be divided by 50. This will be the area of \u200b\u200bthe firebox.
The portal must also have certain dimensions. Its height should exceed its depth by 2 times. If the firebox is deeper, the heat transfer of such a structure will be reduced. If the depth of the fireplace is less than the optimal value, such a design will not be able to be operated. The firebox will smoke.
To calculate the dimensions of the chimney, you need to determine the area of the combustion chamber. When measurements are taken, the result is divided by 15. Thiswill allow you to determine the cross-sectional area of the chimney. It should be 10-15 times smaller than the area of the furnace chamber. The length of the chimney can be from 5 m or more.
Considering how to build a fireplace yourself, you need to consider an example of calculation. For example, a room has an area of 20 m². In this case, the optimal width of the portal is 62 cm, and the height is 49 cm. The depth of the furnace should be 32 cm, and the pipe section should be 26 x 26 cm.
Only with the right calculations can you build a fireplace that will last for many years.
Tools and materials
There are several recommendations on how to build a corner fireplace or a straight structure with your own hands. It is necessary, after carrying out the appropriate calculations, to prepare all the necessary materials and tools that will be used in the work.
To prepare the mortar, you will need clay and cement (grade 200 or 300). You will also need sand. You can take it to the river. Such sand must be sifted and calcined. To reduce the time for preparatory work, it is better to buy this material at a hardware store. It should be clarified that quarry sand is not suitable. Also, crushed stone (a fraction of about 6 cm) and reinforcement (about 15 pieces) are used to equip the foundation.
Separately, you need to purchase grates, a smoke damper, as well as a chimney. Finishing material may be different. His choice depends on the style of the fireplace, as well as the design of the entire interior.
For construction work, you need to purchase and prepare all the necessaryinstruments. You will need 2 shovels. One of them should be soviet, and the second - bayonet. You should also prepare a hacksaw and a hammer. The solution will be prepared in a container. To create masonry, an oven trowel (trowel) is used. You will need a level and a plumb line. In the work, a tape measure, a pencil, a ruler and a square are used. The seams will be finished with a bast brush.
Brick processing is carried out with the help of a butt. Bulgarian should not be used for these purposes. You will also need a rule and jointing for masonry joints.
Preparation of mortar and bricks
Most often, the owners of a private house are interested in how to build a brick fireplace. This is a fairly simple method that can be used for self-laying structures. First you need to consider the correct preparation of the solution. Clay should be soaked in water for several days.
Next, mix one part of water with eight parts of sand and lean clay. Instead of the last ingredient, you can take four parts of oily clay. Cement in the composition should be silent. It will require 1/8 of the amount of sand. The mixture should be quite thick in consistency. It's easy to check. On the trowel you need to scoop up the solution. Then it is drained. A layer of mortar 2 mm thick should remain on the tool.
The solution is prepared in the evening before the start of work. It is covered with wet burlap. Before starting work, the composition is mixed. It is necessary to prepare enough masonry mixture so that in the process you do not have to carry out this procedure again.
When figuring out how to build a fireplace in a house with your own hands, you need to learn about the proper preparation of bricks. Facing materials for masonry are not suitable. They can only be used for decorative finishes. To create the interior of the firebox, you will need to purchase a fire-resistant brick. It is purchased by the piece, guided by the previously created plan.
Most often, 260-300 bricks are required to build an average fireplace. A separate calculation is carried out for the pipe. Before starting construction work, each brick must be lowered into a bucket of water. Here they are for several minutes. This will release all the air from the structure.
Foundation
Experienced builders give a number of recommendations on how to build a fireplace with your own hands. You need to start building with a foundation. The foundation of this structure and the house itself should not be shared.
To create a foundation, you will need to markup. The lines should be 5 cm larger than the actual dimensions of the fireplace on each side. If the flooring is already equipped, a hole will need to be cut in it. Next, you need to dig a pit. If the premises are residential, the recess should be 50 cm. For non-residential houses (dachas), the foundation pit should be 70 cm. The walls and bottom must be carefully tamped.
Further, a layer of sand is poured. It is leveled and straightened. Next, rubble is poured. Next, the first layer of the solution is poured. Gravel is added to it. When the layer dries, another solution is poured onto it. In this case, you can no longer use crushed stone. When the levelthe foundation will be level with the floor level in the room, you need to make a formwork. Then the last layer is poured. The surface here should be perfectly flat, horizontal. When the mortar is completely dry, proceed to the next stage of construction.
Begin laying
There are several recommendations on how to build a fireplace. Before starting work, you need to consider a few nuances. Experienced builders recommend laying out each subsequent row of bricks without mortar. This will help determine the most difficult places in the masonry, eliminate errors. Bricks will need to be hewn and adjusted.
Masonry is created starting from the corners. Then the material is laid out around the perimeter. Only after that the central bricks are installed. During work, the evenness of the masonry is checked by a level. It is necessary to ensure that each seam is completely filled with mortar. However, they should be thin.
Masonry is created on the prepared foundation. To do this, the base must be covered with a layer of waterproofing. For this fit ruberoid. For large fireplaces, it is recommended to tighten the control cord before starting work. This will make it easier to control the evenness of the masonry. Only then can the main work begin.
Creating masonry
After the preparatory steps, you need to consider how to build a fireplace in the country with your own hands. The first row of luggage is the basis on which the main rows will be built. Therefore, its creation should be approached as responsibly as possible. It is recommended to pullvertical plumb lines at the corners of the fireplace. This will make it easier to control the position of the bricks.
The seam between the bricks should not be thicker than 5 mm. When creating the first row of masonry, you need to constantly monitor its horizontal and vertical characteristics. For this, the building level is used. Angles are checked with a special goniometer. They must be strictly 90º. Otherwise, the design will be unstable.
The base of the fireplace should rise above the level of the main floor at a distance of about 25 cm. It is very important to maintain the same thickness of the joint during laying. The solution should not fall on the front side of the bricks. It must be cleaned up immediately. The dried solution will be extremely difficult to remove.
Subsequent rows
You should follow the recommendations and tips on how to build a fireplace in the country. Each row is laid out according to the developed scheme. The first two rows are completely filled with bricks. They are laid on the mortar, tapping with a special rubber mallet. Next, using the level, the position of the rows is determined.
When the first 2 rows are created, you need to start building the base for the fuel chamber. Here you need to put fireclay bricks on the edge. Ordinary brick is not bonded with fire-resistant material.
The grate needs to be installed. The brick should be 4-5 cm away from it. This will allow the metal to expand when heated. With the fourth row, the firebox begins to form. Here begins the installation of the firebox door. It also creates a gap for metal expansion.
The blower is installed in the 5th row. And in the 8th row you will needslope the rear wall by 30º. On the 10-14th row, the formation of the arch begins. It is laid out symmetrically, starting from the corners. It is closed in the center.
The chimney is created on the 19th row. In its 22nd row, you need to install a valve. A metal umbrella is installed on top of the chimney to protect against precipitation and a weather vane to improve draft.
Finish
Concluding the consideration of technology, how to build a fireplace, you need to pay attention to the decorative finish. This is an important stage in the construction of the structure. Fireplaces in a classic style are necessarily decorated with columns. You can create a marble finish.
In some cases, fireplaces are finished with tiles, ceramic tiles. Natural wood can also be used to decorate the structure. This material put forward increased requirements in the field of fire safety. Therefore, the wood is carefully treated with special impregnations.
Finishing stone will make the fireplace massive. This is also a design technique in the design of some interior styles. Brickwork can also be emphasized. In this case, the seams are treated with a special decorative solution. If desired, the surface of the fireplace can also be plastered.
Having considered how to build a fireplace, everyone will be able to cope with this task on their own. The design will be strong, reliable and durable.
