Chimney & Fireplace

Should plasterboarded chimney breast have a vent or cowl to prevent damp?

Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 3.00 PM

We've just had a family friend plasterboard our chimney breast after having our gas fire taken out, and now I've read that we should have a vent at the bottom and/or a cowl to prevent damp? How do we know if the chimney stack has a cowl? We're both worried now as we've wallpapered the chimney breast assuming it would be okay to. Is there any way of installing a possible vent like I've read that we need? I wondered could we even drill a hole at the bottom as we've got a tight budget? The area doesn't feel damp and didn't feel so when it was open from having the fire taken out before our my friend came to plaster it and at the moment we've had quite a lot of rain. We are also going to hang our TV in it after. We are real DIY novices haha! Any help will do greatly, thanks!