Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey takes us on a road trip to help a homeowner install a new gas fireplace. Explaining that it’s not a DIY job, Richard lines up a team of experts to help with the electrical, gas, and ventilation needs in order to install a beautiful new fireplace to improve the home’s energy efficiency and comfort.
Next, we meet general contractor Tom Silva back at the shop as he shows Richard, mason Mark McCullough, and host Kevin O’Connor a tool they’ve never seen before. After Kevin suggests it’s a spring-loaded toothpick, Mark claims it’s a tool for fingerless nose-picking, and Richard claims it’s an old-fashioned pipe alignment tool, Tom tells them the truth: it’s a spring-loaded nailset ideal for driving proud nailheads below the surface in tight areas.
Finally, carpenter Nathan Gilbert takes us on a ride to install classic wainscotting in a dining room. With the goal of closely matching wainscot in another area of the house, Nathan shows the homeowner how to lay out and install wainscotting throughout the room, including an alcove that holds the family’s piano.
How to Convert a Wood Fireplace to Gas
Traditional fireplaces may be charming and quaint, but they’re also inefficient and dangerous. If the damper is open and the fireplace isn’t in use, warm air from inside the home escapes up the chimney, forcing the heating system in the home to work harder to keep the house warm. Also, burning embers and smoke can cause dangerous conditions such as fires or breathing impairment.
Where to find it?
Insert installed: Supreme 30” direct vent gas insert with IntelliFire touch ignition system by Heat & Glo.
Insert sourced and installed by Yankee Fireplace Grill & Patio.
Gas fitting provided by Stephen O’Brien Plumbing.
A gas fireplace conversion will need a team of licensed professionals that can help obtain any permits needed and make sure everything is up to local codes. A certified gas professional will extend the gas line to the firebox. An electrician will bring power up to the firebox, install an outlet to plug the insert into, and a power switch on the wall if needed. It is usually preferred that the gas professional and the electrician complete their work before the day the insert is installed.
The insert installers dropped two 3” aluminum flex length liners down the chimney for the intake and exhaust. It was capped at the top of the flue with a termination cap. The installers used a direct vent insert kit that included two liners and termination cap components. To make the connections at the liners and insert, a high heat stove cement was used to withstand above 500-degree Fahrenheit temperatures.
What Is It? | Spring Loaded Pointy Tool
When general contractor Tom Silva brought a double-ended, springy, pointy tool to the shop, he wanted to see if the team knew what it was. After a few colorful guesses, Tom tells them the truth.
Where to find it?
How to Install Wainscoting
Wainscotting is a classic detail and it was very popular in dining rooms in older homes. The idea was to protect the plaster from children and furniture. When a homeowner wanted that classic touch in their dining room, carpenter Nathan Gilbert got to work and recreated the timeless design.
Where to find it?
36”-42” tall is the classic height of wainscoting. Nathan manually measured and marked the height all around the room using a tape measure. In a newer home he would have used a laser but in an old home the house settles so that method won’t work well. Nathan made a gauge stick that was the determined height of what they wanted the top rail to be to mark around the room.
To remove the base caps, Nathan scored the top and bottom with a utility knife. Then he took a pry bar, shim, and hammer to work it off.
To make cuts he used a combination of a table saw and a miter saw.
Primed 1×4 pine board was used for the rails and stiles. To install the rails and stiles, Nathan used wood glue for the miters and construction adhesive for the back. Then he used a framing nailer to secure the pieces to the wall. To nail in the rails and stiles he used finish nails. For the base caps he used brad nails.
The top cap was made with a bullnose molding with a piece of decorative scotia molding underneath. A bead of caulk was added on top of the bullnose cap and corner joints to fill in any cracks.
Original Air Date: Jan 23, 2025, Season 23; Ep. 12 23:42
Products and services from this episode
- Gas fireplace insert manufacturer: Heat & Glo
- Installation assistance: Yankee Fireplace Grill & Patio
- Gas fitting supplier: Stephen O’Brien Plumbing
- Mystery tool manufacturer: Rockler