Fireplace Demo and Remodel Part 1
Fireplace Demo and Remodel Part 2
It’s been weeks (almost months!) since my hubby started our fireplace demo and renovation. This home improvement project included the demo of the existing mantel, reinforcing the 2×4’s behind the sheetrock which was replaced with hardy board then recovered with ledger stone. It has proven to be one of the biggest we’ve taken on and definitely took longer than we expected. Aside from expanding the scope of this home improvement, Steve made several changes behind the scenes (wiring, installation of tubing behind the fireplace for ease of changing wires in the future then scratched that idea) before he could continue with the final steps of adding the stone.
Once the stonework began, it was a slow process. We chose a stone color (glacier white) in which prepared corners were sold. We thought this would speed up the “brick laying” process. The corners give a very nice finish to the edges but they were more difficult to work with when the layers of stone didn’t line up with the firebox and tv enclosure openings. The corners (affixed with a metal bracket) had to be cut horizontally. In the long run, they served their purpose beautifully but cutting them made for slow and challenging progress.
In addition, the stones were so heavy only three feet could be glued at a time in order to ensure that the stones did not fall or shift before the mortar holding them to the wall dried.
Building a wood frame inside the firebox opening as well as the tv enclosure proved to be an ingenious way to provide a solid edge in which to align the ledger stone and add additional support as stones were added above. Using blue painter’s tape provided a great surface to prevent the mortar from drying to the wood frame. The wood frames were removed as the project progressed clearly revealing smooth edges. We really weren’t sure how this “trick” would work and we both were relieved to find that the edges were perfectly even and the wood detached without a trace.
Working around his full-time job and not wanting to feel rushed (and potentially making mistakes), the hubs made like the tortoise at a slow and steady pace. In the end, it paid off. Each row of stone is straight, level, and perfectly placed.
You may be able to see in some of the original photos that there was a tv cabinet to the right of the fireplace. We decided to remove that cabinet and subsequently removed the shelving to the left of the fireplace as well. The final, FINAL phase of this project will include can lighting centered above the space to the left and right of the fireplace (which Steve is wiring as I type); and symmetrical “floating” shelves that will give more of a modern flair. The walls and ceiling will be repainted to tie it all together.
I will post FINAL before and after photos to show the changes made but for now I’m posting the final photo of our newly completed stone fireplace. Completed just in time as the temps dropped in North Texas recently and we really needed the use of the fireplace to keep the living room/kitchen area feeling comfortable.
We learned a lot throughout this process including the fact that if our house is ever hit by a tornado all the extra LAN cables/speaker wires/random cables hidden in the walls will likely hold the house up. But our main takeaways are as follows:
- Although there are no grout joints, ledger stone requires precise positioning to keep rows level.
- Working with ledger stone requires patience and plenty of time to allow the mortar to dry before building too high.
- Building a wooden frame created a perfect edge and extra support.
- Finishing the inside of the tv box with wall compound (all the way to the outer edge of stone) and painting it white gave a smooth, professional look to the overall enclosure.
- The final product is beautiful and totally worth all the effort.
What do you think? Are you a fan of the traditional fireplace or the new and improved one?
What’s the largest home improvement project you’ve attempted?
