Open Fire using Solid Fuel or Gas.

For repairs inside the fire area. Fire cement is used to make small repairs to cracks and joints. For rendering the fireback to make a more comprehensive repair then KOS Heatproof Screed is a suitable product. To fix tiles in an area exposed to heat, the recommended product is Fixatile heat resistant tile adhesive. The coverage of this material is approximately 4 kilos per square metre. Not suitable for marble sections.

For a newly constructed fireplace. or when opening up a chimney breast to create a fireplace, there are two possibilities

The first is to line the opening with firebricks using KOS Heatproof Mortar to set the bricks. In this case the mortar joint should be realtively thin in the range 3 - 5mm. As a guide 20 kilos of this material will set 100 standard sized bricks (230 x 114 x 76mm).

The second possibility is to render over the existing brickwork or blockwork with KOS Heatproof Screed. The recommended thickness is 25mm and in this case 20 kilos will cover 0.5 square metres. If it is necessary to cast a base for the fire area then again KOS Heatproof Screed can be used in this application.

Free standing Stoves. The area inside the opening can be lined with KOS Heatproof Screed at a thickness of 12mm which gives a coverage for 20 kilos of one square metre. Cast metal flue pipes should be jointed with fire cement on the first joint at the stove and on subsequent joints F.J.C. can be used. If the first joint is larger than 5mm then the joint should be packed with mineral fibre rope before applying the fire cement.

Cassette or 'Hole in the Wall' Fires. The main problem which may be encountered here is with the plaster in the immediate vicinity of the fire opening. Purimachos have developed a material called Heat Resistant Plaster especially for this application. The material is designed to go directly onto the brickwork or blockwork in the immediate vicinity of the fireplace opening. If a thickness greater than 5mm is required then, Heatproof Screed can be used as a basecoat.