Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Fireplace Facelift

Our new house has a fireplace, which we like, but it was in much need of a little TLC.  The mantel was warped and not very well made and the bricks were coming loose from the wall and missing mortar in a few spots.  It was also sporting some really dated burgundy terracotta tile on the hearth.  Overall, it was really dark and dingy and kind of made our living room feel a bit like a cave.

We decided to update the fireplace by painting the brick a bright, crisp white, changing out the painted white plywood mantel for a natural, solid wood version (which Daniel made from heart-pine salvaged from an old house in Raleigh), and cover the ugly tile with some beautiful stone.  The stone really brings out all the colors in the room from the new paint on the walls (pictures coming soon) and the wood tones in the new mantel and hardwood floors.  I think it looks a lot more fresh and gives the room more of a cottage feel.

Here's a little picture chronology to show our progress to date on the fireplace facelift:

BEFORE:



DURING:















AFTER:

I apologize for not having posted anything in such a loooooooong time.  It seems these projects always take so much longer than you think they will.  I'm currently in the process of painting the living room, (you can see my teeny-tiny paint swatch in the corner on top of the mantel) and Daniel is currently in the process of finishing off the trim around the fireplace and sealing the stonework and putting a coat of poly on the mantel. As soon as we get it all finished and dressed, I'll post an update on our progress. More to come soon! :o)


No comments:

Post a Comment