Wall to chimney connection question.
sandalboy
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I wondered what would be the correct or best way to butt a wall to an interior chimney. It’s a brick chimnney with a liner in it. As far as I can tell the chimney has never shifted or settled. The house had settled, which bent the floor up about 1/2 an inch all the way around where it hit the chimney. The house has real footings now and is not moving. I know wood is not supposed to come into direct contact with the chimney, which I will avoid. Now I’m putting in a non-bearing wall that will butt up to the chimney. Should I connect the wall somehow to the chimney, or keep them separate for movement? Can drywall bridge the gap and be finished normally?
Replies
It is the framing that should be allowed the space. Finish materials can abutt the masonry
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
The drywall can be scribed or flat-taped to the chimney, or for a clean straight line you can use an L-bead to end it.
Our inspector requires 2" between the frame and the chimney, basically any conbustables. Where insulation is needed, it must be the fire block insulation too.
I will follow this advice even though the original construction didn't. What I do still wonder is whether the frame should or should not have any structural type connection to the chimney. It would be helpful to have the support along that area, so I would like to attach a metal stud or bracket. Is this an issue? Should the chimney be floating? Other parts of the house are semi connected to the chimney by plaster and or mortar interference with the framing, but nothing that obviously intended to hold. At this point I don't think either house or chimney are moving so I would guess that it is OK to attach.