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Original poster

Would you get rid of this fireplace or keep it?

76 replies

Kmj2018 · 03/08/2022 11:47

So we are in the process of renovating our house and are about to plaster/skim the walls so need to decide if we want to keep or get rid of this fireplace . My husband doesn’t mind it and wants to keep it but I want to get rid of it. I think it’s quite ugly but it is real marble.

Would you get rid of this fireplace or keep it?
OP posts:
Thatsenoughnow · 03/08/2022 20:21

Id get rid of it then depending on the era of the house id scour salvage yards and Facebook marketplace for one that's ie Victorian if you have a Victorian house. If that monstrosity is original to the house, rip it out.

Original poster
Kmj2018 · 03/08/2022 20:24

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor Yeah we definitely getting rid of the red carpet and so plan to put wood flooring down

OP posts:
Paq · 03/08/2022 20:26

It's inoffensive. Keep it as a blank wall would be even more characterless. Future buyers might like it.

BarbaraPickle · 03/08/2022 20:40

bin it & get a new one Grin

wonkylegs · 04/08/2022 15:07

It's fairly inoffensive but I get why you don't like it. I'd try and sell it, even if you don't get much it will offset getting rid of it and go towards either a replacement more to your taste or infilling the fireplace.

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 04/08/2022 15:16

We’ve got that one with a gas “real” fire in it and if we were redoing the house I’d rip it out in a heartbeat.

Redburnett · 04/08/2022 15:21

Partly depends on room size. We had a similar one opposite a door in a rather narrow room, so removed the fireplace and replaced with an almost flat to the wall gas fire (but all the heat goes up the chimney......)

Begoniasforever · 04/08/2022 16:43

I think with some wooden flooring, logs piled up in it, a huge ornate mirror above it, remove the little fire basket thingy, it could look good. It looks dull and inoffensive now, but I reckon if you’ve an eye for design it could be made to look great,

tsmainsqueeze · 04/08/2022 17:18

I would paint it first, you may see it in a different light , if you don't all you lose is the cost of the paint.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 04/08/2022 17:19

tsmainsqueeze · 04/08/2022 17:18

I would paint it first, you may see it in a different light , if you don't all you lose is the cost of the paint.

Can you paint marble?

NiqueNique · 04/08/2022 17:26

That’s true, it could be worth painting it. I like a fireplace as the focal point in a room so unless I absolutely hated it I’d probably try to keep and make as good as possible. But it does depend on what you’re going to do with the room.

pantherrose · 04/08/2022 17:32

HopeIsNotAStrategy · 03/08/2022 13:58

If it is a working fireplace then I would not be thinking of ripping it out before the coming winter. You may be very glad of it if the gas runs out.

This. Energy prices won't be going down anytime soon, better to have a back up.

vinoandbrie · 04/08/2022 17:35

I wouldn’t keep it. Get a log burner!

Begoniasforever · 04/08/2022 17:37

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 04/08/2022 17:19

Can you paint marble?

Show quote history

Yes she can paint it with chalk paint or acrylic.

Movinghouseatlast · 04/08/2022 17:39

If it is a working fireplace I would keep it and paint it. There are some lovely fireplace makeovers on Frenchic Facebook page, or Pintrest.

NiqueNique · 04/08/2022 17:50

Pp was also right - if it’s a working fireplace you might be glad to have it in future for heating!

Wallywobbles · 04/08/2022 17:51

I like it. If you made it a feature with something grand above it rather than the current offerings it could look great.

Violinist64 · 04/08/2022 18:12

I like it and feel a fireplace can really be a lovely feature in a home. I would far rather have a fireplace as the focal point of the room rather than a huge television screen. However, I also have a deep red carpet so what do I know?

Violinist64 · 04/08/2022 18:13

Sorry. One rather too many.

SuperCamp · 04/08/2022 18:24

It’s horrible.
Horrible colour
Some sort of repro mash up in style and presumably not original to the house.

Sell it, if you can, set the income against your refurb costs.

Unless it is original to the house what is it’s purpose? You won’t use it as a fireplace, would you willingly choose to embellish your main wall with a ‘decorative’ item like that if it wasn’t there? I doubt it!

rwalker · 04/08/2022 18:30

If your on a budget just look at changing the hearth to say a black one. Wouldn't bother me about doing it at later date as it would just be the one wall to plaster.
Only thing would be you flooring to sort out .

AlwaysLatte · 04/08/2022 18:37

It depends on the style of the house. If Victorian eg I would replace it with a more original one.

Davros · 04/08/2022 18:40

Will you end up with a chimney breast with nothing in it? I don't like the fireplace but it might look odd without something there (not a Woodburner!)

Athenajm80 · 04/08/2022 19:21

Do you mean get rid of the whole thing, as in mantle piece, hearth, and fire place? Or just the surround/mantle piece/hearth but keep the "hole in the wall" bit?

I'd definitely do the latter. You could put a chimney balloon inside the flue for now, they're quite cheap, which will stop drafts and then you could put whatever ornaments, books, etc inside the hole. I have an altar inside my fireplace in my bedroom.

It can then be used as a fireplace in the future if you decide to, without the faff of unblocking it.

Whammyyammy · 05/08/2022 12:12

Get rid, it's not nice at all.