What a Handsome Fireplace

We took advantage of the three-day weekend last week and finished up that fireplace project. And when I say "we" I mean Mike. But I'd like to provide a small PSA for all those folks like me who may not use the power tools but carry our weight by providing distractions for children, grabbing tools from the basement, and cleaning up (more on that later). It's a family affair, k?

Drumroll, please.... I give you our updated fireplace.

You will recall from this post, we first painted the brick white, using leftover paint and primer. We chose some white porcelain tile that bears a striking resemblance to Carrera marble and I looove it. If you ever want to surprise me with a kitchen makeover (I'm looking at you, HGTV), please put Carrera marble on my counters. It's so beautifully clean and white. And clean.... oh so clean.

We tried going the hammer route to get this clay tile out of the floor and immediately discovered that was a no go. I swear they must have been preparing for tile Armageddon when they installed that stuff. It was easily and an inch and a half thick and just would not budge. We have a theory it might have been outdoor pavers.

The Before shot

Mike rented a demolition hammer from Home Depot to break up the tile instead. It's like a jack hammer, but tinier and with a flat head to scoop under the tile. It worked really well, except for the little bits under the mantel itself. Mike spent forever trying to chip it out with a hammer. So frustrating. I'm so lucky he stuck with it. Personally, I might have called a realtor at that point.

Now the demolition hammer was a incredible. BUT... it created a giant horrible dusty mess. I literally started to freak out because a certain someone had sworn to me that we didn't even need to drape anything. And when I got all controlling and insisted on draping up the furniture right next to the fireplace, I thought we would be safe.

Wrong. It was a giant freakin' mess. Dust, red clay dust, EVERYWHERE. If you want to see my head crack open and a demon jump out, just apply layers of dust to my living room. Every surface had to be wiped down, the couch had to be vacuumed, all vases and frames had to be washed by hand.

I wasn't at my best.

This is when I stopped breathing

But let's not dwell on that. Next up was the actual tiling. We had never tiled anything and Mike was chomping at the bit to use a wet saw. The kitchen was like a little workshop. (That was also really awesome for my stress level.) Mike had to apply a layer of concrete board first because the original tile was thicker than the porcelain. It wasn't difficult, but just added another step. We were a little concerned the tile might be too high on top of the concrete board, but it worked perfectly.

And you thought your Saturday night was exciting...

Mike applied thin set and tile and then grouted the next day. We spent a total of $300. That dollar amount includes equipment rental ($60), tile ($100), thin set and grout, concrete board, tools, and liquid nails. Mike used a Christmas gift card from his parents to purchase the wet saw, but that can also be rented from Home Depot.

We learned a few things about ourselves during the DIY weekend.
1) Maggie needs to wrap everything in the house with plastic before she feels comfortable embarking on a project. And maybe also take a vacation while it's underway.
2) Abe might have a future in the construction business. He got in on the action several times when Mike let him paint and use his toy hammer to take a crack at the tile.
3) Mike really should flip a house. I think it might be his destiny because he loves it to much. And Maggie should rent Mike out for small projects.
4) Portillo's is the leading choice for dinner during DIY projects. Four out of four Roths agree.

What about you? What's the project you would tackle, if time and money were no object?

Why didn't we do this years ago?

Like every family, when we moved into this house, we had a list of projects we wanted to tackle. Some projects were massive - like redoing the kitchen. Some were minor - like switching out light fixtures.

But one project that never occurred to us until this week was to paint the fireplace surround. We love the mantle and switched out the cover last year (the original cover was a lovely 80's brassy gold). But the ugly brick and tile we never gave much thought to. 

However, this month's HGTV magazine spotlighted a young couple who painted their huge fireplace white. The article left us scratching our heads...Why didn't we think of that?

Before

Up close shot of brick

We love a quick weekend DIY project. After scrounging around downstairs, Mike came up with some primer and a paint brush. Game on.

Three coats of white primer later, we had ourselves a lighter brighter fireplace. Then we used our date night babysitter to accomplish two tasks: purchase some tile for the floor in front of the fireplace and go get some sushi.

Brick be gone! Looks better already.

We chose a porcelain tile that looks like white marble. It's going to look great after we chip up the odd ceramic tile. We're not sure what it was grouted with... maybe silicone? But it's definitely not standard grout. And the tile is very thick so we may need to lay down concrete board first.

But won't this look pretty when it's done?

Stay tuned for the next update... we hope to tackle the tile this weekend.