The cast iron Edwardian fireplace in the master bedroom is one of the few remaining original elements in the property. It was entirely coated in yellowish paint when we moved in.

Although having the fireplace heater would have been easier and faster, we elected to do the restoration ourselves. After some investigation, I discovered that you couldn't use a heat gun on cast iron since the quick change in temperature will cause the iron to break, so we went with a chemical paint remover.

THESE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESTORING A CAST IRON FIREPLACE:

First, I applied the stripper with an old paintbrush as directed on the package (make sure to use the necessary safety equipment). I left it in place for as long as I could, taking care not to let it dry entirely.

Then, once the paint had been dissolved, I cleaned away the majority of the residue with a stripping knife and kitchen paper. It is critical not to use water to clean the cast iron since this can cause it to rust.

White spirit is by far the best and easiest way to remove the residual particles of sticky disintegrated paint and stripper. It appears to neutralize the paint remover, making it very simple to wash off. I discovered that putting steel wool in white spirit and washing the area works incredibly well for any sticky paint patches.

This procedure is especially useful in locations where the cast iron surround is patterned and the sticky paint residue would otherwise become trapped in the intricacies.

Our fireplace had at least 7 layers of paint that needed to be removed, and while the chemical stripper worked well, it didn't penetrate all of them in one application, so it required a few additional applications to remove all of the paint.

We utilized the same procedure to remove the original encaustic tiles, but we used a plastic scraper to avoid scratching the tiles.

We applied black grate polish after fast sand with steel wool and a final wash down with white spirit (bought at our local fireplace shop). When the grate polish was totally dried, I wiped it off with an old towel and polished the surface.

HERE ARE OUR TOP 5 SUGGESTIONS FOR RESTORING A CAST IRON FIREPLACE.

• Allow the chemical paint remover to do its job for as long as feasible.
• Using a stripping knife and kitchen paper, remove the disintegrated paint.
• Remove any leftover paint residue with a lot of white spirits until the surface is entirely clear. If required, sand with steel wool.
• Allow drying after applying black grate polish. Then buff to the desired level of completion.
• Cleaning the fireplace with WD-40 is a good way to keep it in good working order. Never, ever use water.