Remove stone fireplace facing?
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Remove stone fireplace facing?
I am about to close on a 1913 home. It has a corner fireplace in the living room. The fireplace is faced with "football" sized stones which have been painted. The stones are probably basalt, and the stone facing involves the entire wall of a corner fireplace. I suspect the stone facing was an addition in the 50's. The face is too irregular to sheath and reface with tile. Should I try to remove some stones and see if there is brick underneath, or frame out and insert a gas insert into the fire box (which I plan to do anyway). The painted stone is very ugly and out of character with the Victorean architecture.
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The stones stand about 3-4 inches proud of the grout line, and due to their size and curve there would be pretty large voids to fill for stucco. Unfortunately they are not smooth rounded stones like river rock, but rather are somewhat jagged igneous basalt. Too irregular to try to attach cement board. I might be able to frame out the wall though. I'm relying on memory since I wont have access to the house till after closing in mid-January. Would you still try to fill, frame, or remove. If I frame out, then I've got an added depth to the entry of the firebox. If it's finished in some masonry material AND if there is a gas insert, will that even matter? I'm leaning more toward framing out the stone wall.