Question about 1940s fireplace surround material

[Calvin Chappelle]

I recently purchased a 1940 minimal traditional home that has a unique fireplace surround/facing. At first glance it appears to be a stone and metal fireplace that has been painted, but upon closer inspection I realized that the entire thing must have been made from a mold. The materials looks like some type of early particle board. Does anyone have any ideas of what this could be made of? Also, the arch appears to have been damaged over the years. Would it have had some type of insert originally?

There is a hole cut out in the hearth with what looks to be an old ash dump where they ran a gas line later. I recently removed the old and deteriorated gas logs.

Thanks in advance,

Calvin

 

[bholler]

It looks like cast concrete to me like cinderblock from the pictures but i could be totally wrong

 

[Calvin Chappelle]

It looks like cast concrete to me like cinderblock from the pictures but i could be totally wrong

It's more like a compressed wood material. You can drive a nail through it pretty easily.

 

[bholler]

It's more like a compressed wood material. You can drive a nail through it pretty easily.

If it is compressed wood it is completly unuseable as a fireplace.

 

[bholler]

I would bet it is some sort of cementacious material. It has obviously been used if it was wood it would be charred

 

[jetsam]

Is it fiberous? Could be molded asbestos board.

 

[Calvin Chappelle]

If by fibrous you mean hair-like, then no. I don't see anything like that or like the horse hair you see in plaster walls. I had asbestos insulation removed from the old radiator pipes, and tested walls and ceilings that came back negative. I'm kicking myself for not sending a sample of this too, although I could certainly send in another sample. I figure it has to be fire rated somehow, but hoping it's not asbestos because I'd hate to have to remove the entire fireplace surround.

 

[bholler]

If by fibrous you mean hair-like, then no. I don't see anything like that or like the horse hair you see in plaster walls. I had asbestos insulation removed from the old radiator pipes, and tested walls and ceilings that came back negative. I'm kicking myself for not sending a sample of this too, although I could certainly send in another sample. I figure it has to be fire rated somehow, but hoping it's not asbestos because I'd hate to have to remove the entire fireplace surround.

Even if it has asbestos that does not nessecarily mean it needs to be removed. If it does contain it you should make sure the edge that is breaking down is encapsulated in some sort of cement. But unless it is crumbling it poses no risk at all. It also may not have asbestos in it at all.

 

[Calvin Chappelle]

Here is a closeup. I think I’ll have it tested anyways, but I would be interested if anyone knows more. I would figure they would be relatively common for the time period. I’ve never seen anything like it before though.