Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Planning & Buying Materials For A Fireplace Makeover

Having fresh paint in the kitchen has given us a chance to look at the room with, well, fresh eyes. And it has sparked our plans to take the fireplace to the proverbial next level (we mentioned building out the mantel and retiling the painted-over tile hearth a few times like here).

Fireplace Before

It has already come a long way since we moved in, thanks to removing (and craigslisting) the old stove and giving it a paint job. But with the rest of the room feeling a little more upgraded (there’s shiny penny tile all the way to the ceiling on the other side of the room), we’re itching to amp up this side too.

Bart Before With Chair

As for inspiration, we’ve been finding a lot of it lately. Sherry and I have had this makeover from Layla and Kevin mentally bookmarked for years now. And more recently they posted this one below, which has given us a few more ideas for some fireplace refacing – aka, building something architecturally interesting over the existing fireplace, like a more substantive mantel along with some framed out side columns.

Fireplace Makeover Layla

Sherry also has gazed longingly at this page torn from Canadian House & Home way too many times this month. So it officially has us interested in bringing some tile into the picture. Especially since the other side of our kitchen has a lot of that going on, so it might balance things out and tie the room together a little more.

Magazine Inspiration H And H

So with those images as our starting point, Sherry and I broke out the tape measure and started planning. And since I’m exceptionally geeky for graph paper (and because I was having trouble figuring out the scale and proportions) we actually ended up sketching a to-scale drawing of what we wanted to do. Don’t bother trying to understand it yet – just know that most of it is wood, but the slightly shaded inner frame would be a sleek tile surround for the firebox (as we actually build it and share pics, you’ll get a much clearer idea of the process).

Sketch Graph Paper

We debated a few tile options (more penny tile, something luminescent like sea-glass-ish mosaic tile, etc) and then the stars aligned and Sherry spotted this post on Bryn Alexandra’s blog that mentioned inexpensive marble subway tiles at Home Depot. It’s a great price and a timeless tile choice (we worried that something in a bold color like green might look dated or too specific down the line). So we think it’ll be a great compliment to the gray penny tile on the other side of the kitchen without matching it exactly.

Tile Hunting 4

You really can’t go wrong with marble subway tile, can you? It’s classic Peg.

Tumblr Lynj4zbHGi1r56n3y

And while we played around with dark brown marble in our first house’s bathroom, we’ve actually never worked with the (much more traditional) white stuff. And it’s about time that changed. Since we think using classic tile in a fresh way is even more fun, we’re actually going to go for a herringbone pattern, which will look like this if all goes well. Oh yes ladies and gents, we’re about to get fancypants.

To further prove celestial alignment, thanks to a few generous relatives, we had some Christmas gift cards to Home Depot burning a hole in our pocket. So at just over $5/square foot we were sold (we only spent around $30 total on tile after gift cards).

Tile Supplies

But tile was barely scratching the surface of our materials list. It’s just a small portion of the new look (as you can tell by my incredibly accurate and remarkably discernible sketch). Most of what we need will be wood and trim.

Planning Page

The good news is we now have everything home: tile, boards to build the base out, 1 x 2″ pine pieces for decorative details, miscellaneous trim, backer board for the tile, and masonry screws. And we have all of our leftover tiling supplies from previous projects (so we don’t have to buy trowels and grout sponges and yada yada again). Huzzah! Of course we’ll be sharing every step of the building process as it comes together, so basically what I’m trying to say is: sorry brick fireplace, your days are numbered.

Fireplace Before2

Especially since we just painted this zany smashed-tile-mosaic-looking-hearth (so that weird broken-tile texture is still going on under the white paint). But not for looooong!

Bart Before With Chair

If all goes well, we’ll be back on Wednesday with a finished tile update. In fact, we’re already working away…

FireTile 16 Mess John

What were you guys sketching or planning this weekend? Anyone starting a tile project, or finally spending a Christmas gift card?

Psst- There was a little Clara celebration at school, so here’s how that went down (don’t look now, but Sherry’s hair is down).

Comments

  2. Alisha says

    Ooh I’m excited to see what you are doing! I hope to install some matte white subway tile as my kitchen and bathroom backsplash this coming weekend. We picked it out this weekend!

    Reply

  3. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    I appreciate your citing sources of inspiration.

    This weekend we found a steak of a deal at an antique store, made maple oatmeal cookies and layered veggie enchiladas, and listened to our little girl babble for hours on end!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re going to frame it all out right on top of it, which should beef it up a bit and make the front straight (right now it slopes since some of the bricks jut out more than others).

      xo
      s

  6. Hannah says

    YES!! I’ve always wanted to do this, and I bookmarked the tutorials from The Lettered Cottage, but I can’t wait to see what you guys do! (I may be a little excited LOL)

    Reply

  7. Nancy says

    Don’t neglect to check building code specs for combustible material use spacing. We had to alter our wood surround plans slightly because we had the wood side columns too close to the fire box.

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      You mention later on in the comments that you would like to turn it into a gas fireplace later. Are you going to check the code now so you don’t have to undo any of your work down the line if/when it becomes a working fireplace?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, it’s very straightforward here (at least 6″ of tile without any wood for it to be woodburning and even less for gas – but we’ll be doing 7″ so we’re covered).

      xo
      s

  8. Tracie@MiddleClassModern says

    I love it! I especially love the marble subway tile. Yummy!

    I’ve been meaning to share this with you forever http://www.middleclassmodern.com/2012/12/house-stalking-christmas-edition.html.

    The first house is very similar to yours. Specifically the fireplace! And the owners cut into the back of the fireplace to open it up to the family room, which I know is something you want to do! I thought it might be helpful to a see a finished product.

    Reply

  9. Rebecca @This Nest is Best says

    Our intention was to paint the dining room this past weekend but since Mr. Lemon just returned from a week traveling for work, a more low-key weekend ensued. PLUS, our rug we ordered from Joss & Main is scheduled to arrive today so I thought it might be a good idea to double check out paint plans against that. Very excited to go home tonight!

    And I am LOVING the new tiles! Can’t wait to see how it shapes up!

    Reply

  16. Chelsea says

    Very excited to see how it works out! Are you guys still thinking about making it a two-sided fireplace, in the living room? I have to admit, ever since you said that, I’ve been so excited to see it!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re so into that idea, we just need to save up our pennies and make sure it’s possible (that’s a structural change since all that brick all the way up the chimney rests on that cinderblock in the back, which we’d have to remove – so we’d need a mason and maybe even an engineer before we can proceed).

      xo
      s

  17. Tara says

    I spent my weekend planning and pricing out our fence & backyard garden re-do. I’m so excited to have a usable backyard for our twin 2 year olds this summer! Oh, and blueberries and strawberries and pretty plants, too!

    Reply

  18. Courtney says

    I recently had a baby, so I’m a little behind on your blog. When I saw the post today with the first picture showing the new paint I thought, “Whoa!! Where have I been”. I absolutely LOVE it.

    Reply

  21. Katie says

    This is cray, guys. I was tiling my baño this weekend! It’s still in progress because I spent most of my time smashing the old bathroom to bits! Now I understand your love of the sledgehammer…

    Reply

  22. Abbey says

    This is such a timely post for me–our red brick fireplace and hearth, and peeling while mantle on our 1920s house is in desperate need for a makeover. Can’t wait to see what you do!

    PS When you guys started work in your first house and even now, how in the world did you/do you decide which projects to tackle first? My husband and I and our two toddler boys have been in our first house for half a year and we’re kind of paralyzed and don’t know which on our long wish list to do first!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We basically made a giant long masterlist (a few pages long in a notebook) and laid in bed reading through them all and circled whatever we wanted to tackle first. If something needed to be done that jumped to the front of the list, but otherwise it was just what we felt inspired to do next (and of course if we had the budget to get to it). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  24. Brandy says

    I cannot wait for your step by step instructions!! My fireplace looks almost identical to yours and I have been looking for ways to update it. I am not a DIYer, but may give it a try if I have instructions!! :)

    Reply

  26. Leigh Anne says

    You guys impress me so much! So much get up and go! I have to pep talk myself into painting lol I know this will look GREAT!

    Reply

  27. Krystal says

    I can’t wait to see the finished product! Just remember to seal the stone well and regularly because marble is extremely soft and porous, and going with white marble is going to show a lot of staining that can’t be cleaned once the stone absorbs it in.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Krystal! We’re suckers for sealing tile (our penny tile, and even the grout are stain free over a year later – even with spaghetti sauce splatters :)

      xo
      s

  28. Kate says

    I have been eyeing that same display at HD with the hopes of redoing our bathroom floor in herringbone marble subway tiles! So excited to see the total finished product, especially because we have a massive painted brick fireplace I’m itching to update.

    PS – Sherry’s hair is gorgeous in the YoungHouseLife Story! And what a sweet idea at Clara’s school!

    Reply

  29. stephanie says

    I’m SO excited that you guys are tackling the fireplace now… I’ve been waiting for that because we also have an outdated fireplace that needs help. I’ve literally been putting off my fireplace redo until my fav DIYers started working on theirs – mostly because you guys give the best, most detailed breakdown of how-to and I love your style! Look out fireplace – it’s about that time!! :-)

    Reply

  30. Tara says

    I have a painted cinderblock chimney running through my entire house (the woodstove on the ground floor is an old ceramic weso and it’s gorgeous but the chimney is bleck) that I was trying to upgrade last summer. I was told that my options were basically to leave it or paint it a different color. Our local tile/stone shop in Dover, NH said that nothing adheres to painted cinder block. I would assume that painted brick works the same way so I’m wondering how you are going to get around this (so I can possibly try it out myself).

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ll share all the details as we go, but we definitely will be refacing it as we go (adding cement board over the brick where we’ll be tiling, building out the mantel with wood, etc).

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Super gorgeous! We’re doing herringbone on the floor and straight on the surround too! Just because there’s not enough room to really do herringbone well on the surround. So glad it looks so great on yours!

      xo
      s

  33. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Yay for fireplace revamp! I love the way it looks now but I can see your vision as well. I can’t wait for the reveal hopefully Wednesday because I want to see the rest of that herringbone pattern. I also can’t wait till you bust on through to the other side of that wall and double your heat capacity with a double sided fireplace. I know, I know…patience Daniel son…

    My best, Lynn
    *Oh did you catch the awesome week Justin Timberlake spent on Jimmy Fallon last week? It was epic. Hulu has every episode right now. Op! And we started ripping down kitchen wallpaper last night. Here we gooooo!!!! :)

    Reply

  35. paintergal says

    Really like the layout of the subway tile. I have seen that recently used for a back splash and thought it was cool. But I wondered if I would tire of the design. Using it at the hearth would be a great way to incorporate it, however, since you wouldn’t be looking at it as often.

    Reply

  36. S'Mo says

    Hey there! Excited to see how the fireplace turns out.

    Would you mind posting the link to your tutorial for painting the fireplace hearth? The fiancé and I are scouting a house that, if purchased, would definitely need some hearth help, and I remembered over the weekend that y’all had painted yours.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  37. maddy says

    I’m so excited to see this!
    I thought the painted brick was really charming, but I know you guys will step it up! xo

    Reply

  38. Tania says

    Yay! Excited to see what you come up with. We are doing a fireplace makeover to except ours is a giant chunky rustic reclaimed wood beam that will eventually be floating…if we can ever figure out how to get it up! No luck so far – we need to make trip # 3 to Home Depot.

    Reply

  40. cara D says

    I love graph paper! i currently have our playroom/guestroom, bathroom reno, amd laundry room redo all graph papered up. Now just need time and money to finish them. I need to do our fireplace too. I got annoyed at it and ripped the old mantel off with no plan for a new one. Now there is just drywall with a ragged edge around the gas insert! Can’t wait to see yours. $5/sq ft tile is a deal.

    Reply

  41. Sandra @ TheHouseOfBing says

    Spent the gift cards on a welder.

    I am excited to see how you get the bottom tile thingie (technical terms) out without messing up the floor. I have a builder special piece of gross beige marble-esque something, but have been afraid to pull it out due to the wood flooring surrounding it.

    Reply

  43. Amanda K says

    So glad you guys are tackling this. I have a very similar project on my to-do list, so I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

    Reply

  44. Laurie says

    I swear I am right behind you. Nice that you work out all the details before I get there. I finished my crown molding and have taken a detour to planking my family room ceiling before tackling the fireplace. My fireplace takes up almost the whole wall with built ins on either side. I was looking at that exact tile at Home Depot too! (I spend more time there than the tile shop). Waiting on which new tool to buy after your next post. Probably a tile saw. Thanks for all the inspiration.

    Reply

  48. Amy B says

    Wow that looks like it is going to turn out great!

    Yesterday was my birthday (yay) and my husband was laughing at me because what I wanted to do (while our kid was napping) was design and sketch out a master garden layout for our place.

    Reply

  49. jess@hillcountryhomebody says

    Oh I need to catch up! I missed the whole repainting of the kitchen! It’s going to be gorgeous! We are in the middle of building and going through fireplace choices as well. Looks like we are going the penny tile route there but did use the home depot white marble in our master bath and love the way it looks. Hopefully it will hold up to all of the abuse a bathroom gets. I’m sure you will but watch out for yellow tiles…since we didn’t do our tiling ourselves I wasn’t there to catch a couple of yellow toned tiles that will probably bother me forever;)
    http://hillcountryhomebody.blogspot.com/2013/01/peek-in-on-master-bath-progress.html

    Reply

  50. Christina @ Homemade Ocean says

    Ohhhhh I am so excited! Can’t wait to see the finished product. I once fell in love with a fireplace on a Craigslist adventure. They had done black glass tile…it was so dramatic and gorgeous. Although I would never put it in my house, it was totally stunning in theirs!

    Reply

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