I have searched everywhere for your advice on how to drywall a brick fireplace, without any success.
Answer:
If you don’t like the facing on your masonry fireplace you can change it quite easily to whatever you might want. You have though, to ‘reface’ it. Start by strapping the whole face with 1X2 spruce 12” or 16” O.C. You attach these straps with screws which means you drill ¼” holes 3” deep in the vertical mortar lines and then filling them by driving ¼” pine or cedar plugs you can whittle for the purpose. Now take photographs of all sides so you have a record of what you’ve done. Always include a tape measure (with large numbers on it) in the photos. You’ll be taking more of these as you go and they should all be archived for future reference. Now it’s a simple matter of driving 2”drywall screws through the straps and into the plugs. Don’t forget to apply top and bottom straps horizontally. You can now attach the straps making sure the screws go along the mortar lines so you don’t damage the brick faces. Take a few more photographs. The drywall you use should be 5/8” thick. And its just a normal drywalling job after that. Take more photographs of all sides as you proceed. The reason you took the photographs is so you, or anyone who wants to change it back in the future, can see what they’re dealing with. The wooden plugs can be drilled out once the screws are removed and then there’s a ‘re-pointing’ job to done. Always prime and paint before applying anything else to your new surface.
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Remember, even if you don’t do your own work around the house have to hire someone, you put yourself at a great advantage when you can intelligently discuss a project with the various trades people.
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