

My fireplace before I moved in.
I’ve been wanting to tear this fireplace down and update it since I first saw it. Moving into my new home over a year ago, it was just one of the many areas I wanted to put my own touch on. There were many other items that needed updating first, such as painting, new floors, etc. I’m really excited to show you what I have done with the floors and the cabinets, but I wanted to make the fireplace my first post. I’m proud of it, I think it looks amazing, and I cant wait to show you how I did this fireplace remodel! Contact
Fireplace Remodel: Tearing Out the Tile

My fireplace before I moved in.
Here is the first picture of my fireplace before I moved into my new home. I was not a fan of the green tile, oak shelves, and mantel. I’m not even going to talk about that blue carpet on the floor! Believe me, that’s the first thing I ripped out of the house, but I’ll save the flooring for another post!

Taking the tile off was kind of a fun little added bonus! It was actually super easy, I just used a flat bar to pry both the tile and the backer board up off the sub-floor. It didn’t take long to remove, but then I needed to tackle the sheet rock and holes that it left on the wall surrounding the fireplace. Prep! Prep! Prep!

I was ready to pull off the existing mantel and build a new one.
I was so ready to pull off that existing mantel and build a new one. It was held to the wall by a ledger board that I ended up using to attach the new mantel.
Fireplace DIY Remodel: Replace Tile and Update Mantel

This is the ledger board that I screwed my new mantel to. The ledger board is used to hold the mantel to the wall. I also patched the drywall to make a flat surface so that I could start installing the new ledger stone. I was really excited about it and couldn’t wait to start putting it up!
So this is where I lost the pictures of me building the mantel! Ugh! Technology can be a real pain! I went to Lowe’s, bought 1 x 8 Pine and had them cut it to 55 inches, which is the length I had measured out on the wall above the fireplace box. I also had them cut the ends to make end-caps for when I nailed and glued it together. It came out exactly the way I had imagined.

Here is the installed mantel! It was pretty easy to put together and mount on the wall. Then it was time to start stacking the stone. I used Mapei Porcelain Tile Mortar. It’s a bit thicker than others, but I needed it because the ledger stone was pretty heavy. The stone came in 6 x 24 sheets, and is around an inch thick. I used my little tile saw to square off the ends. It took me several days to install. I did one sheet at a time, braced it, and let it dry for a day in between.
Fireplace Remodel: Paint

I put the finishing touches on the shelves and installed them. Almost complete. A little touch up and paint the mantel.
Tada!! The tile came out amazing! So far, it’s lookin’ good! For the shelves, I scuffed them with sandpaper, primed with Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer, and painted both the shelves and sides with Pro Classic Trim and Door in Snowbound. I also painted the back of the shelves with Pro Classic in Dovetail. At this point, I was putting the finishing touches on the shelves and installing them. Almost complete; they just need a little touch up, and then I need to paint the mantel. I plan to paint it the same shade as the shelving cabinets, Dovetail.
Fireplace Remodel: Final Product

And here is the finished fireplace! I love it! The white and gray really brings out the colors in the ledger stone. I’m so happy with the way it came out! If I can do it, you can too! Thanks for hanging out with me today and following along on my Fireplace DIY Facelift! I cant wait to show you the other projects I have tackled in my new home. Until next time… Re-vamp, Re-style, and Re-design it!
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