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

  1. Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says

    I am sooo jealous of the tile you are using!! Our fireplace hearth needs some new tile ASAP, and I have been daydreaming of some herringbone marble tile to replace our painted over 1950’s tile. I might be DIY’ing it in the future…hopefully it turns out 1/4 as good as yours (yes, I just know yours is amazing). :)

    Reply

  2. katie says

    Can’t wait to see the tile and trim! I was eyeing those marble subway tiles at HD the other day, too. I had forgotten y’all’s hearth was made of those smashed tiles – that’s what our entire porch floor looks like – my husband loves it and cleaned and sealed it (boo) but I want to paint over it all (or put something else on top of it)!

    Reply

  3. Kate says

    Great minds think alike! I bought marble subway tile this weekend too to revamp our fireplace! I can’t wait (can you tell by the exclamation marks)! – In fact, I can barely concentrate I’m so stinking excited to see the finished product!

    Reply

  4. Stacey says

    How exciting! We actually considered the marble subway tile for our kitchen backsplash before deciding on the plain white for our farmhouse-ish kitchen. I still have one box of the marble though (same brad as yours!) and am mulling over some way to bind them together into a pastry board on the cheap. :)

    Reply

  6. E @ These Peach Roses says

    Your last sentence of this post made me giggle because this weekend Hubs and I spent a gift card we received at Christmas too! We had a lovely steak dinner on Friday night. I can’t wait to see your herringbone fireplace!!!

    Reply

  7. Nichole K says

    Ohemgee it’s going to be amazing!! I didn’t even notice an incongruous look to this side of the kitchen compared to the shiny penny tile side until you pointed it out, though :) Can’t wait!

    Reply

  9. Alexa says

    Wow – fun project!! Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

    Random question – do you wash the walls, especially bathrooms or kitchens, before you paint? I’m in the middle of scrubbing the bathroom walls and wondering why. Prep is never fun. Thx!

    Reply

  10. Jennifer says

    We’re actually getting ready to knock out the gross old tile on our living room fireplace and retile! Just gotta wait until it gets warm enough to open the windows.

    Reply

  11. Lindsay Redd says

    What a fun post! My husband apprenticed under Steve Tiek and I assist Caitlin Creer who were the original builder and designer of the second fireplace. It’s beautiful! My husband just did a fireplace that has the same mantle, not the top paneling. It’s such a beautiful classic look. But oh the great herringbone debate! This one is a big one with my husband and me… He thinks the herribkne should wrap, like its in a continuous circle and u think the point should be centered! How do you guys plan on centering it? Good luck! We have exhausted this argument and still haven’t found a common ground!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good question! We’re laying it out a few ways and just trusting our eye to pick the one we love best! More details on Wed. if we’re lucky!

      xo
      s

  12. Alina says

    Ugly mosaic tile must have been a weird Richmond trend years ago. :/ We live in the city and have it on our front porch. I’ve also seen it around the neighborhood. We’re hatching a plan to get rid of ours, too!

    Reply

  14. Karoline says

    Just wanted to quickly say that I LOVE the new kitchen color! I thought nothing could be more perfect than the yellow that you already had in there, but the new color is awesome, so sophisticated and cool. Good luck with the fireplace project!

    Reply

  15. qs777 says

    Can’t wait to see it! We are going to be using marble in our bathroom too, because of the great price.

    This past weekend, I was making a plan to re-do our 12 yr. old’s bedroom while he is away for a couple of days on a school trip. He has way too much stuff in his closet that he won’t get rid of on his own. Out of sight, out of mind. ;) We will also re-paint and get some new bedding for him since he got straight A’s.

    Reply

  16. Sarah J. says

    I looked through the comments, but are you considering using the fireplace someday?

    We have a 1950’s ranch with two fireplaces and I not only was I not too excited about it, but it also seemed to lose a lot of heat during the winter. My husband convinced me that instead of updating the mantle/facade this year, that we should invest in an upscale fireplace insert. Best ever! It’s so great and makes our house so cozy. We also live in Montana, so maybe that is why it’s so great. Maybe you guys should look into an insert b/c they are so great and you can find ones with low/modern profiles so they don’t take away from a fun mantle/facade.

    Reply

  18. Noel M says

    Unrelated to the fabulous fireplace refinish in progress – I drove by Shades of Light on Broad today and was so excited to see their front windows full of your light shades! On this gloomy day it was a bit of bright that was much needed :)

    Reply

  22. ali says

    Can’t wait to see it!
    Was just thinking about our fireplace and how re-tiling would be a good low-cost project this year. Thanks for the soon-to-be-inspiration!

    Reply

  23. Cindy says

    I am impressed with the herringbone pattern. Tried that once on a wood floor and gave up pretty quick. I can’t wait to see the finished result.
    I just tackled some small things this weekend. I wish I had your energy!

    If your feeling bored you can see my livingrom progress. http://wp.me/p3avco-j1

    Reply

  26. Jenn @ HomeStyleReport says

    Oh my! I can’t wait to see the finished product! Are you going with the herringbone pattern like the sample tile! I’ve been mentally planning on building a faux fireplace in our living room and adding tile too!

    As for another room – we’re pretty much redoing our entire kitchen and tiling the floors, backsplash, and an accent wall. To say I’m excited is putting it mildly! If you have time, check out our tile picks :)

    http://www.homestylereport.com/2013/03/tile-for-our-kitchen.html

    Reply

  27. Kay says

    I am so excited to see the process for this!

    Also, I just bought some paper at Michaels to try out the state art project in your book!

    Reply

  28. Laurie says

    Seriously you guys, your timing is always perfect. You tackle a project right before I tackle my same project which is really helpful. Thank you!

    My fireplace is that fabulous 70s brick that is really lumpy textured. I painted it white but that only hides the dated look a little. I’ve been toying with some kind of spackle-type treatment to get a smoother surface for the brick. Then I’m going to put in bookshelves on either side and hang a stained glass window above the bookshelves to give it a faux Craftsman look. It fits the small space, isn’t too far from my 70s Ranch house’s original look (did you know the Ranch House and Craftsmen houses are cousins?)and it gives me some badly needed book storage.

    Now go out there and tear out a soffit because I’m really afraid to do that this summer.

    Reply

  30. Jenny says

    Sooo exciting! I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Our weekend was spent installing picture frame moulding in our DR (and using a nail gun for the first time!). Home improvements are the BEST. xox

    Reply

  31. Kate says

    Ouh! I can’t wait to see the final results.
    I showed my hubby this post and he immediately went and looked at our fireplace and said, “Yeah, we could/should do that.” Huzzah! Hehe! My plan worked! Looks like we will be updating our fireplace like that down the line. =D

    Reply

  33. Marjan says

    So excited to see what you are doing with the marble. We bought a 1950s rambler and did the two bathrooms in a herringbone pattern with this same marble!! Would love to send you pics if your interested.

    Reply

  34. Sydney says

    LOVE the herringbone pattern. Can’t wait to read the tutorial. I really need to do something about my kitchen backsplash. It has fruity feature tiles. Have been considering penny tile because I love the idea of not having to have a saw. I’m sure I’ll want herringbone pattern too now! So many ideas, so little time (and money!)

    Reply

  36. Lauren says

    OMG I just stumbled upon your blog and I’m already in love. You guys are fantastic. I subscribed to your feed. happy blogging! hope you are having a great week.

    Reply

  37. Linda says

    My husband built out mantel (very inexpensively!) using mdf and different moldings. The design is exactly like yours, except the top is arched instead of straight. We are just DIYers also, so if you need any tips on achieving that look I would be glad to ask him for you, I know he learned a few things along the way when he was building ours. :)

    Reply

  38. Susan says

    This is crazy, but I just did Layla and Kevin’s $82 makeover this weekend. It’s almost done and looks great. It cost closer to $150 but it was worth it. Can’t wait to see what you all do. -Susan(from You’ve Got Supper)

    Reply

  39. Katie says

    I love your fireplace makeovers!!

    My husband is nervous about painting our old brick fireplace/wall but I am very ready – i.e. looking at your makeovers multiple times a week!

    I have a couple questions:
    -Do you use your fireplaces? And since we do is there a different paint/way we should redo it?
    -In the case that we don’t like it (not planning on it) can it be removed?

    You guys are amazing!! Thanks so much for all the tips and ideas :-)

    Katie

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We used the fireplaces in out last house so we didn’t paint the actual firebox (just the front of the fireplace). If you don’t like it it’s pretty hard to undo though :)

      xo,
      s

  41. Shannon says

    Your drawing of the fireplace is great! I’d probably pick something like that too. We unfortunately have no fireplace in our little starter home but we have been toying with the idea of a faux fireplace. I’m looking forward to see your fireplace when its all spiffed up. :)

    Reply

  42. mp says

    Thank you for the third photo! My bedroom (formerly known as the den) fireplace is the only one I’ve ever seen with a ledge in front like that, and I haven’t been able to figure out how to build a mantle.

    Reply

  43. Layla says

    Hey! We blogged about each other on the same day! :-D
    I am SOOOOO excited to see how that fireplace makeover turns out. I would have a hard time not eating that DELICIOUS tile!!! #mmmmm

    Reply

  44. sarah says

    waaiitttt, what happened to the double-sided fireplace idea? Wouldn’t it make more sense to do that first (since demo will be involved), then renovate the surround? Or am I missing something?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Just not in the budget right now. It’s a load bearing wall so we’d need an engineer and a mason, so maybe down the line we can tackle that. But it won’t effect this job since we can go in from the back when we do :)

      xo
      s

  45. Stephanie says

    Can I ask where you got the wooden (I think!) light that is hanging in your kitchen in the first picture?? I love it!

    Reply

  46. Bree says

    Oh I am SO EXCITED that you are doing this project!!!! I have a fireplace with a very yucky 70’s stone surround that I’ve been wanting to do this on, so I am eagerly looking forward to the tutorial!

    Reply

  47. Sassafras says

    Love the marble subway tiles. I see a backsplash in my future (scratch that – I mean my husband’s future!!) :D!!!

    I’ve been busy painting an awesome bench primary red for a great window-seat that’s been in the works since we moved…poor man at flea market had to sell his ‘but that’s my sale bench’ to this crazy (I mean REALLY Persistant) lady!!! SCORE!!! There is a lot to be said for just not going away but standing there pleading till they give in!! $20 bucks for a 6 foot bench that is the perfect size that I’ve been searching for what is it? Months on end??? YES. Color me excited.

    So nice to see your fireplace moving forward!!

    Reply

  48. Sassafras says

    Ummm,seeing the comment above — we painted out the interior firebox at the old house with fireproof spray paint in black. The kind you use on BBQs and such.

    Reply

  49. Ali says

    I’m trying to find the post where you cleaned out the fireplace and painted the inside? I can’t find it. We are looking to do this in our family room fireplace and need help! Link, please?

    Reply

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