Hi,

We have a 48 year old brick fireplace that we would like to frame over and cover with stone veneer. We don't want to go directly over the brick because we'd like to leave space to run power and cabling to the flat panel TV that will be mounted on it.
We are confident that we can build a sturdy frame to hold the stone veneer as well as the TV mount. We are just not sure about framing around a wood/gas burning fireplace. Is there a way or product to do this safely?

Thank you.

It isn't clear whether you want to keep the fireplace active or not, but the nature of your question seems to indicate that it will remain in use. Above an active fireplave is not a recommended location for a flat-screen TV.

In general, combustible material must be kept at least 2 inches from a chimney, and 21 inches above the top of a fireplace opening.

You cannot frame over the existing brick with a wood structure then cover it with stone, or anything else for that matter.

There is the concern that the wood will get hot and begin to burn between the layers. Even if you decided not to use the fireplace it is not a wise idea.

You can set stone right on the brick with proper steel fasteners wire mesh and the like to secure them. I would however be concerned with the weight that will now be placed on the wall with all that rock.

As far as the TV over the fireplace also not such a good thing. A lot of heat rises out of the front of these things and could void your warranty on the set. I know you have seen this with gas fireplaces but they produce and control the heat discharge a whole lot differently then that of a older wood fireplace.

If you decide to do this anyway, the cables would need to go to the side and then down the wall. This should be possible as you would need to open the old walls up to allow for the cables to be run to the side then down a wall cavity.