Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Keeping warm

I couldn't bring myself to take photos of more plaster. BORING! :)

Instead, I have here, for your enjoyment and ours, a picture of warmth and satisfaction.

The fireplace is almost complete. It took a lot of work, surprisingly!

The plaster is whitewashed, but we didn't want it stark white, so we added some colour. We decided to try making it dark by adding creosote to the whitewash, which turned it into a coffee/grey colour, and dried a sandy cream. Not entirely what we had in mind, but it does look good!

The Nectre 15 went in soon after and we lit a fire. Because we hadn't blocked the chimney yet, the heat disappeared up through the night, and we were left feeling less than warm. It just wouldn't do - we had to take the whole lot out and start again.

Of course, it took us 3 tries to get the cement sheet to fit inside the chimney just right. It wasn't easy! The chimney is anything but square, so we have brackets attached to the sides and the cement sheet sitting on them. It's all screwed down and sealed up with heat-proof silicone. Then the Nectre 15 was put back inside and.. well.. that's the short version anyway!

So now we're keeping warm, and I can fix up the whitewash tomorrow (I still have spare). I've been really impressed with the quality of the whitewash. It doesn't come off on clothing, it makes the plaster look smoother and finished. I believe it all comes down to using a quality slaked lime.

You'll probably notice a four-legged friend in the photo too. That's Coco, a 7 year old Australian Bulldog. She'll be staying with us for a while, but she has some big health issues. She's just starting some pain medication and hopefully will be feeling better soon.

Until next time!

1 comment:

  1. You are doing such a good job Manda. I am proud to have such a talented and productive daughter. Thanks for another pic of Marty. He looks so relaxed and cozy by the fire. I love the room and purple rug. I hope Coco gets well soon. Is he(she)a foster dog?

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