How to restore fireplace?

[Innov8tive]

Hey Bunnings Workshop Community, 

I have decided to restore this fireplace ( not mine) It is in the living area (lounge room) part of the house. At the moment I am just going to focus on the fireplace and then the mantle later. 

As you can see it is not in good shape. I believe it can be restored rather than replaced. 

I asked the owner of the house how water got in there and they did not know. 

Clearly it is going to need a good clean out before I start restoring and the water needs to be removed. 

My plan is to get the fireplace restored first. The longer term plan is to have a functional fireplace and nice storage for the wood etc. It can be a messy business with fireplaces so kind of going for a cosy and neat look when it is done. There might be some room for a grate but unsure if a grate would even be necessary and taking up room that can be used for something else in the future. But certainly a nice stoker set would be an advantage. 

As you can see it has a chord ( apparently for air) is what the owner said. I am not familiar with these types of fireplaces that you plug in so would love some knowledge about that. 

I am wondering what the best method is for cleaning the rust off the inner door frame and the rust on the outside of the fireplace down the bottom? Once it is all cleaned out, and the rust is gone, I am not sure what else I might need to restore the interior and the door if anything? 

You can also see by the photos above the fireplace is a tv bracket and other things needed for a television. ( I am raking down the bracket and I am not sure if the owner wants a television up there anyway. (At this stage I do not think so) I am wondering what can be done about that space if a television will not be going there? Could possibly just hang some nice pictures up there perhaps? 

The main thing though is just focusing on the fireplace for now. 

Looking forward to sharing this project and the suggestions. 

[Innov8tive]

Hi Mitchell, 

I will see what I can do from here on in to remove the bolt. 

[Innov8tive]

I happened to find a socket set and one that fits this bolt. One came off easily but the other is being stubborn. I will work it out and get it off. 

An update about the fireplace. I got all the water out - there was almost two litres. The fire place is drying out nicely but had no one to check out what the issue could be with the leakage yet. Making progress nonetheless.

[Innov8tive]

@MitchellMc 

I bought a wire brush to clean the fireplace up. As you can see from the pics in the original post there's a bit of work there. Is there anything else I may need to get besides the wire brush to make the job slightly easier in getting all that rust off? 

[MitchellMc]

What sort of wire brush did you get @Innov8tive? One of these that goes in a drill would be more efficient than doing it by hand. You should also start by scraping off any loose chunky rust as the wire brush will have difficulty getting through it.

Mitchell

[Innov8tive]

@MitchellMc 

A wire brush from Bunnings is all I have but I can scrape off a bit before using the wire brush. I'll see how I go with that. It may be ok? 

[MitchellMc]

It will certainly do the job @Innov8tive.

Mitchell

[Innov8tive]

@MitchellMc after giving it a bit of a clean up (not using the wire brush yet) there is a lot of rust and I'm a bit concerned about some areas as it is powder coated. The inside of the fireplace is completely rusted out. I might contact the company and ask them for some advice on it. 

[EricL]

Hi @Innov8tive 

I agree, calling the company/manufacturer would be the advisable next step to take. They will be able to determine if the rust in the fireplace has compromised its integrity.

Eric

[Innov8tive]

@MitchellMc @EricL 

Well I called the company and they still have the same model. $3850 for a new one and installation. However, after cleaning some of the rust away inside, it is coming off and I can see the black interior. The interior is not compromised because there are no holes and it is in tact. In saying that the door is not so great, so am opting to get a replacement door for this model @$500. 

Obviously on the exterior - cleaning some of the rust away is also removing the powder coat finish and in some places that wore away a long time ago. I'm considering what I can do to possibly mend that until we are in the market for a new fireplace. That's all I got for now. 

[EricL]

Hello @Innov8tive 

I propose speaking to the manufacturer again and asking them about what coating you can use to patch the worn away sections of the fireplace. They will be able to recommend the proper type of paint or coating to use that is fire safe.

Eric