A reader asked: I have just moved house and would like to remove one of the Edwardian fireplaces. I'm not sure if it is slate or marble as it is covered in white gloss paint. Can this be removed and sold?
 
Salvo's reply
 
Salvo recommends that intact original fixtures should not be removed from old houses. However, the UK salvage trade exists because when items are inevitably removed, it is better that they are reused than destroyed and landfilled, to preserve their historic value, and from the environmental viewpoint of giving a good item the chance of a second life.
 
Can your fireplace be removed and sold? It is likely that the fireplace can be sold, but can it be legally removed? The answer is probably yes, but if your home is listed or in a conservation area you should check with your Council's listed buildings department first. Removing a legally-protected item from a building or garden is a criminal offence.
 
Can the white gloss paint be removed? This depends on whether the fireplace is made from marble, which is relatively tough, or from enamelled slate, which is a softer with a brittle polished asphalt coat, easily dissolved with solvents or abraded with scourers or scrapers.
 
If the fireplace is made of marble the paint can be fairly easily and carefully removed with an alkali-based chemical paint stripper, then washed with cream bathroom cleaner, dried and polished with a light colourless beeswax or white wax polish.
 
If the fireplace is made of slate, the original decoration is probably intact underneath the paint, with black enamelled surfaces and possibly gilding, marbling and oil painting. This is definitely worth keeping but would almost certainly be destroyed by paint stripping unless this is done with meticulous care using gentle scraping and poultice-type strippers. Try a tiny inconspicuous area first before embarking on the whole fireplace to make sure your method will work. The end result may be so good that you decide to leave your fireplace in-situ.
 
Stripped slate fireplaces (where the enamel has been removed) do have a value, but this is less than ones with the original enamel intact. Some salvage businesses strip and redecorate marble fire surrounds with modern marbling effects.
 
We are not aware of anyone who offers a commercial service to clean paint off enamelled slate fire surrounds whilst preserving the enamel because it is so time-consuming and prone to failure. We would be very keen to hear of any proven methods or materials used to strip enamelled slate fireplaces where there is a reasonable guarantee that the enamel will be left intact.