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How to replace fire bricks in a wood burner

Updated: 22.10.2026

The stove is cold, the ash is out, and a new vermiculite board or a clay pack is on the hearth. You want the old layout copied and the steel covered again, without filling the room with dust. How to replace fire bricks in a wood burner is that sequence: decide the old piece should come out, open the firebox, cut to the measurement, and refit. The [fire brick comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/fire-brick) is where the boards and packs are priced, from the amazon.co.uk capture on 19 October 2026. Sizes and pack choice sit in the [fire brick buying guide](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/fire-brick/sub/fire-brick-buying-guide). There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The stove is cold, the ash is out, and a new vermiculite board or a clay pack is on the hearth. You want the old layout copied and the steel covered again, without filling the room with dust.

Our top picks

The Stove Wizard Stove Wizard fireclay bricks, pack of 6

Best overall

The Stove Wizard Stove Wizard fireclay bricks, pack of 6
7.8/10about £25.19
View offer
hongyong hongyong vermiculite firebricks, pack of 10

Rank 2

hongyong hongyong vermiculite firebricks, pack of 10
8.6/10about £28
View offer
The Stove Wizard Stove Wizard vermiculite board 193 x 303 mm

Alternative

The Stove Wizard Stove Wizard vermiculite board 193 x 303 mm
6.8/10about £14.98
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.When the old brick should come out
  2. 2.Open the stove cold
  3. 3.Cut and keep the dust down
  4. 4.Refit so the steel stays covered

When the old brick should come out

A hairline crack on its own is not a reason to strip the stove tonight. Eurostove and The Fire Shop both describe hairline marks as something you can watch, while crumbling edges, a brick that has dropped, or steel you can see are reasons to stop using the fire. Pink or red vermiculite is the colour those retailers treat as a sign the stove has been run too hot. If the steel of the firebox is showing, or the throat-plate brick has fallen, do not light the stove. A new rectangle does not repair a warped baffle plate or a stove body that has twisted. If you are about to swap a heavy clay brick for a light board, read vermiculite or fireclay fire bricks before you cut anything.

Open the stove cold

Work only on a stove that is fully cold. A warm baffle will crack a new board and it will burn you. Photograph sides, back, base and the baffle, including which edge tucked where. Contura's UK FAQ says to lift the smoke baffle and then the side bricks, and to buy that brand's bricks from a dealer. That order is for Contura stoves, not a Villager or a Stockton. Follow your manual if it differs. If you cannot see how the baffle is held, or the plate is warped, stop and call a HETAS engineer. Replacing a loose liner is maintenance. Moving the appliance or the flue is building work. Keep the old pieces until the new ones are in.
The Stove Wizard Stove Wizard fireclay bricks, pack of 6

Testsieger

The Stove Wizard Stove Wizard fireclay bricks, pack of 6
7.8/10about £25.19
View offer

Cut and keep the dust down

Check the parcel before you mark a line. One review of the £9.99 board describes a piece broken inside an intact box, and a 12 inch order arrived as four 9 inch pieces and one 12 inch piece. Photograph the damage before you cut. A saw cut is an alteration. Reviewers cut vermiculite with a knife, a tenon saw or a hacksaw. Stove Wizard asks for ±2–3 mm. Cut outside or with a mask, and cut the board dry. The Fire Shop says not to wet vermiculite. Clay from the £25.19 six-pack is denser, and one reviewer cut those bricks for a log burner. Mark from the old brick, not from a title that disagrees with itself.

Refit so the steel stays covered

Put the new pieces back in the order the photographs show, at the same thickness. Every face the old liner covered should be covered again. VITCAS says to match the original material, the thickness and the way the brick is held. A 25 mm board in a rebate built for a thicker clay brick leaves a step the flame can work on. These rectangle listings do not specify a cement. Use fire cement only if the old stove, or a pizza-oven plan, already used it. Stove Spares' conditioning note is to start with small fires rather than a packed box of logs against a new board. If the baffle brick drops when you close the door, take it out and refit it. A new liner does not keep a Defra exemption if you have changed the firebox geometry.

Common questions

How do I get the old bricks out?
On a cold stove, photograph the layout, then lift the baffle the way the manual shows and slide the side and back pieces out. Contura's FAQ describes lifting the smoke baffle first on Contura stoves. Other brands differ. If the fixing is unclear or the plate is stuck and warped, that is the point to call a HETAS engineer rather than lever harder.
Can I cut vermiculite with a wood saw?
Yes, according to the Stove Wizard listing and to reviewers who used a tenon saw, a hacksaw or a knife. Allow ±2–3 mm. Cut dry, and control the dust. Clay in the six-pack is harder. One reviewer did cut it for a log burner, and you should expect more effort than on a 590 g board.
Should I wet the board while I cut it?
No. The Fire Shop says not to wet vermiculite. Water is a later failure, not a dust control. Cut outdoors or with extraction, and wear a mask. A manufacturer sheet for vermiculite board treats cutting dust as a hazard to manage. The dust-control method is ventilation and a mask, not a soaking.
What do I do if the parcel arrives cracked?
Leave it uncut. Photograph the damage in the packaging. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a short-term right to reject goods that are not of satisfactory quality, generally within 30 days. Reviews in this set include a broken board in an intact box and mixed 9 inch and 12 inch pieces. Cutting the remains makes the rejection harder.
When is this a job for a HETAS engineer?
Call one if you are installing or moving the stove or the flue, if the baffle fixing is unclear, if the body or baffle plate is warped, or if smoke enters the room. Replacing a loose like-for-like liner on a cold stove is the job this page describes. Changing the firebox shape is not, and it can take the appliance off the arrangement its manual was tested with.

Related pages

Fire brick for a wood burner

Best fire bricks

Fire brick

Fire bricks for a wood burner: measure, then match

Vermiculite vs fireclay fire bricks: which to keep

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. Approved Document J (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Defra exempt appliances, England (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Selling wood in England (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HETAS consumer FAQs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. VITCAS replacement fire bricks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. The Stove Wizard, what is vermiculite fire board (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Stove Spares, vermiculite note (retrieved 19 October 2026)