FIREPLACE INSTALLATION AND RESTORATION

My Father began fitting fireplaces ( Chimney pieces )  in the late 60's, working on those stone cladded 'monsters'  that have thankfully had their day. Sometimes the fashion of the day is the embodiment of beauty and other times it's practical but with fireplaces they were a statement and always a focal point of a room.

Like with most things, the good stuff survives and the rest is banished to a moment in time. He moved onto marble fireplaces as a natural progression, and fitted until he retired some 35 years later .  I was given a five year apprenticeship and a further two years improving. The skills that you have to learn involve being a Carpenter, Plasterer, Gas fitter, and have time to hone the skills of an installer & restorer. As my skills progressed i found myself concentrating on restoration. What was the point of paying £2400 a year to keep up with the gas fitting side if you only fitted 6 a year? I learned how to fit just about any Fireplace and later, how to restore broken Marble to it's former glory. It takes a long time to learn this game and there is no substitute for experience.

Some installations are easier than others, a coal burning combination cast iron insert can be fitted by a competent D.I.Y. person as this kind of 'fit' seldom encounters any major problems. Fitting a Marble fireplace should only be attempted by a skilled craftsman or a highly competent builder. I love my job, it's dirty and unforgiving but it's the best job in the world.

The principle material for fixing marble is "Casting plaster", but "Keramicast" is introduced into the mix when more time is needed, and more strength required. These days , a lot of fitters use silicon and other compounds that are squeezed out of tubes. I prefer to use the old materials, the noble ones and this means that when i fit a surround, it's not going anywhere. I restore existing fireplaces in situ when everyone else says that it's best to just rip them out, we restore cast iron surrounds that have been painted so many times that most of the detail has disappeared,  we restore them to their original state, likewise with marble. Over the years all sorts of contaminates bring the colour down, from cigarette smoke to human body fat, we bring them back to life in situ without the need of taking them out to restore them. We can restore shattered or damaged marble, restoring it to it's original glory.

I am just a page on the internet, and these few words will never do credit to the 30+ years i have spent learning my game. If you need a reference, i need only give you my last job because i won't leave until the customer is delighted with my work. There are people out there who claim that they are experts because they have worked with fireplaces for over a year. There's only four people i know of, in London who can encompass the skills i have.
 

Learning to mix 'casting plaster' properly and quickly enough for the craftsman to use is one of the hardest things to learn, the apprentice is given 15 months to master this, if unable to produce a consistent mix after this period he is asked to leave. There are at least  8 ways to mix plaster and a different consistency is required for different jobs. The mix will harden faster even if there is a thunderstorm in the area and all this has to be input into the equation. Sometimes you have just 40 seconds to set a column, you have to get it right vertically , horizontally and it has to be square across the front  too with respect to the other column ( jamb)

There are different ways to install a Marble fireplace. Historically, lime could be used in conjunction with cast. Most repair work, like a loose column, is nearly always because too much lime was used in its installation. I tend to rely more heavily on casting plaster as it's durability has been proven over time.

I  have mastered the ability to install marble the hard way, but this leads to a more durable fit. I also have 31 years of experience to draw from.
 

We offer these options.

Marble Surround , cast iron insert Fireplaces

Wooden surround , cast iron insert Fireplaces

Stone

Hole in the wall

Complete restoration of your existing fireplace, it may have been painted or in a sorry state, send in a picture for evaluation.

Combination Cast Iron
 

I have restored 80 fireplaces at the Indian office, Whitehall.

Shared a project of 167 fireplaces at Somerset House.

Restored & Fitted 70 fireplaces at Temple Bar London.

Worked for the American ambassador for London, five  foreign kings and worked under the auspices of our own royal family.

Have been involved in approximately  2800 fireplace fits to date.

Worked closely with the various heritage societies as  required.
 

FITTING SERVICE AVAILABLE

We work within the M25 and most of Kent, if you are in the South East of England it's worth giving us a call too. We have weekend slots available too. Accuracy and experience are everything, and my prices are very competitive for local work.
 

Telephone
01634 315195

Ask for  Bruce Rutherford
 

Fireplace questions?

Rutherford Fireplace Fitting
26, Radleigh Gardens,
Rochester,
Kent.
England
ME1 2QR