What to use for smooth down rough fireplace stones held with concrete & mortar?

[Acrobat]

Hi, Not sure if this is the correct forum to ask in but I guess its not specifically a festool tool question so here I am......
I need to remove the projecting stonework around my inset firebox.
The stonework underneath the mortar and paint is not flat and had been rather roughly put together with concrete by the look of it as a joiner material. Stone looks like scoria.
Its rough as and has deep pits and large bits sticking out so I would like to smooth it all back somehow and then tile over it anew, then fit a new firebox.
What tool/s would one use for doing this? Its a vertical wall around the firebox I need to smooth back.
A wide cold chisel and hammer or a grinder of some sort? What blade for the grinder? If a grinder I expect a shite-load of dust and not really happy about that as its in the living room and I don't want dust everywhere.
Any suggestions welcome.

thanks

 

[Paul G]

A picture would be really helpful

 

[JoggleStick]

A clearer description of how much material you want to remove would also help determine the most appropriate method.

Scoria is quite soft so a scutch chisel might be the go. Otoh, if there is a risk of cracking or dislodging the substrate- any impact may be undesirable.

It's hard to be specific when your description is so vague?

You can fill low spots with a render and then tile?

Many ways to skin the cat....

 

[Stephen B]

As others have said, a picture would help.

I recently ground excess mortar from an external brick wall. The wall had been constructed against a property boundary fence, but the fence had since been removed. The brick wall was to be given a bagging, ie. light cement/sand render and then painted.

I fitted a [hardware store] diamond cement grinding wheel to a 100mm  angle grinder. Quick and effective in removing mortar and some raised brick surface, but dust everywhere. Glad I had a dust mask, gloves and goggles. Then applied a waterproof coating prior to render.

Only you know if this would suit your needs, certainly there will be lots of dust, so you will have to think about sealing off the area.

 

[Paul G]

Why not just remove it all and start over?

 

[Stephen B]

Why not just remove it all and start over?

Why not indeed, certainly less messy?

 

[Paul G]

Why not just remove it all and start over?

Why not indeed, certainly less messy?

And much easier to prep a flat surface for tile. I've removed a few floor to ceiling fireplace facades made of small concrete block and both times I was horrified to discover how poorly they were anchored, both could have easily been pulled down yanking on the top. Being in an earthquake prone area that was a disaster waiting to happen. So now for me in this neighborhood its SOP to remove and start over doing it right.

EDIT: I was just grinding some concrete sidewalk joints this AM to reduce a tripping hazard and I can't begin to imagine trying to manage that dust indoors and I only removed no more than an inch of concrete along a few edges.

 

[Acrobat]

I ended up grinding away the stone and plaster work to get a flatter profile, then called a tiler in.  He skimmed a top coat of sand/mortar mix then tiled over it.
What a shite and messy job it was grinding the stonework. Will never do that again thank goodness. Taken days to re-mop and vac house as there was so much dust thrown up, even with vac attached to grinder.
Looks so much better now tiles and new firebox is in place.

 

[Stephen B]

Glad to hear it is 'done and dusted' !

[smile]