Stone Fireplace Makeover

Even though this picture is not in focus it was actually used to market our home for sale. Yes, seriously! It does however give a hint that is has 9 foot ceilings, full length windows, hardwood floors and gas fireplace. I am not an expert in real estate by any means but it still baffles me that all the benefits were never mentioned and the photographs were crappy. I guess since I am a HGTV addict, I think when homes are on the market the pictures should be like glamour shots highlighting it's best features.

Here's a close up of the cheap boring tile. Really? Fake mosaic tile? It looked ok I guess.

But I had something better in mind :)

Bye Bye tile!

Chad removed all the tile. I think he likes the demo part the best. Chad had to cut out a small section of the base of the wood surround so the hearthstones could slide under it easily. Next he stapled a metal lathe into place.

Then he coated it in mortar. The blue painters tape on the floor marks out the area for the new hearthstones. The rest of the tape was used to make cleanup easier if mortar fell on the metal edge of the fireplace.

Voila!

Can you believe it's the same fireplace!?!

Stacking the stones in place was like a giant puzzle. Not Chad's favorite part by any means. I heard a lot of profanity during this step. lol

I just love the fireplace now. It has such a strong presence and feels like it should have always been like this. Painting the walls a warm beige certainly helps the fireplace stand out now too. LOVE IT!

After all it has a craftsman feel to it with the wood, brick and stone. It seemed like the stone needed to be carried in from the outside.

I'm linking this up to The Stuff of Success, and Tatertots and Jello.