We've got an old stone surround around our fire, it seems to be blonde sandstone but, I'll be honest, I am not a stone aficionado…that's cool, all you need to know is it is stone and it looked a bit crappy. It had been painted with a bitumen paint (basically a kind of tar)
Before the building work we painted it all white
(which never looked that great, but it was a trial and error thing)
Before the building work we painted it all white
(which never looked that great, but it was a trial and error thing)
Previous owners of our cottage had erected a huge wooden surround around the stone original, and to put up this wooden surround they had chiselled huge chunks out of the original stone.
I don't think it is quite visible in the photo but it was a terrible mess around the outside, particularly at the bottom of the upright sections
We took a while wondering what to do with it all:
Do we cover it all back up again?
But we would loose the original feature
or
Do we take a sledgehammer to the lot?
Which would be a bit foolish since it is a functional fireplace...
and half the wall would probably have come with it.
We researched how to mend it and found Lithomex, it is basically a liquid stone and is quite amazing.
This is the work in progress, waiting to set a bit before working it to a better finish |
It goes on not unlike a filler, or a plaster, over the course of a week hardens as tough as stone. It can be chiselled and shaped, like real stone. It is nice to know that is as hard as the real thing.
When I was working with it, it is a bit wobbly and gloopy... a bit like trying to spread thick custard.
The Nitty Gritty:
• We bought Lithomix from the same place we buy our Lime Plaster from, Masons Mortar in Edinburgh (now with a depot in Glasgow too) We had the powdered stuff but they now sell it ready mixed, which would have been easier.
I was listening to:
• I used to do wee listening suggestions... but I haven't for a while. So I was listening to, and singing along (Loudly I'll have you know) to The Ultimate Dolly Parton
You folks in the U.K. Are so spoiled for products. I live in Ontario, Canada and have to travel over 2hours just to buy a bag of lime mortar.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky here Lupin, to be so close to a company that manufactures and stocks great lime products. But I'm not sure how easily available these things are elsewhere in the UK.
DeleteI do sometimes wish the big DIY chains would stock such things, even basic lime putty, it might encourage people back towards traditional techniques and methods.