What's the best way to insulate the recess of a fireplace (when I say best I mean both cost effective and safe!).
I'm using quite a lot of heat out of the back of the recess (when they did cavity wall insulation this bit wasn't insulated).
I've had the following suggested - is this safe and is there a preference (and if I fix it to the wall then what do I put on top of the heatproof boards - if anything?).
1). Skamotec 225 - Skamo Enclosure Board
2). Vermiculite fire boards
3). Calcium silicate Insulation boards - very expensive
4). Rockwool FirePro / RW5 (non-combustible mineral wool)
e.g. could I use the Rockwool FirePro and then cover it with a Vermiculite Fire board and paint over the top?
I'm more than happy to reduce the size of the recess - it doesn't need to be as big as it is for us.
Thanks