Transforming a Dated Fireplace with Tile Refacing: A Simple and Cost-Effective DIY Project
In just one weekend, it's possible to transform a fireplace from dowdy and dated to sleek modern and elegant by refacing it with tile. This project is simpler than you might think, and the cost can be as low as $300. The old wood and mantle need to go because they were obviously added later to the house, attached on top of the marble. With a simple pry bar, the marble can be gently removed from the wall without damaging the drywall.
Before starting, it's essential to clean the wall thoroughly of any dust and debris using a damp cloth. Now it's time to decide how far out you want the tile on each side, making sure it's at least as wide as the old mantle so that the tile covers up any marks left on the wall and meets with any existing chair rail and baseboards. Symmetry is key, so use a level to draw your edges so that they're perfectly straight all the way up the wall.
To create a template for your tile pattern, measure the area to be tiled using craft paper or cardboard. This allows you to play with different designs and make changes before installing anything permanently. Keep this project simple by choosing a tile pattern that fits in the space without being cut, simply by stacking the tiles in straight rows. Once the design looks perfect on the template, it's ready to go up on the wall.
Using an adhesive tile mat instead of mortar will save time and eliminate any mess. Start by cutting the mat to size, ensuring you get the right one for your project. This particular mat can hold tiles up to 7 pounds each, making it more than strong enough for this design. Peel off the white film on the bottom corner and stick the mat to the wall, making sure it's straight and inside the area to be tiled. Smooth out any air bubbles with a rubber float, repeating this process all the way up the wall by overlapping each sheet about an eighth of an inch.
Once again, start at the bottom corner and peel away the film on the first section of tile mat, revealing the adhesive sticky surface. Carefully press the tiles into place, using spacers to create even lines between them for the graph. For the tile directly above the hearth opening, use a scrap board to create a temporary shelf because the adhesive mat requires no drying time. The tile is ready to grout as soon as it's installed.
Mix up some non-sanded grout to the consistency of mayonnaise, choosing a color that works well with new tiles. Remove all the tile spacers, and begin smearing the grout over the tile using the rubber grout float. Apply the grout by dragging across the surface of the tile with the long side of the float at a 45-degree angle to the tile, getting it down into all the joints. Once the joints are filled, wipe off any excess grout with the float almost perpendicular to the top.
Don't worry if there's still some grout smeared on the surface of the tile after about 25 minutes or the amount of time on the ground instructions; it will dry and blend in over time. After an hour, wipe the tile again with a damp sponge, and then a dry clean cloth to finish off the look. What you're left with is a clean tile finished with smooth grout lines between them.
Finishing Touches: Painting the Walls for a Dramatic Makeover
Now that the tile is complete, it's time to finish the room with a little design. The walls can be painted for a really dramatic makeover, bringing in elements of the same color to tie the whole room together for a clean contemporary feel. By incorporating this element, you'll be able to achieve a bold statement and a low profile that actually takes up less space in the room.
In just a couple of days, the entire wall has been completely reimagined, transforming it from a dated fireplace to a sleek modern and elegant focal point in the room. With these simple steps and materials, you can create a stunning and cost-effective DIY project that will elevate your home's interior design.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin just one weekend this fireplace is gone from dowdy and dated to sleek modern and elegant just by refacing it with tile it's a much simpler project than you think and run cost less than three hundred dollars to do this fireplace is a mishmash of too many dated elements it's bulky and it makes the room feel cluttered and old by replacing it with tile from floor to ceiling we can give it a clean sophisticated look that makes the whole space feel larger to get started the old wood and mantle has to go because this was obviously a later addition to the house it's just attached on top of the marble so it can easily be loosened from the wall with a simple pry bar the marble can be gently pried off the same way just be careful not to dent up the drywall during removal when it's down to the bare fireplace clean the wall of any dust and debris using a damp cloth now you want to decide how far out you want the tile on each side make sure it's at least as wide as the old mantle so the tile covers up any marks left on the wall and it meets up with any existing chair rail and baseboards just make sure it's symmetrical all the way up the wall you can use a level to draw your edges so you know it'll be perfectly straight next measure the area to be tiled to create a template using craft paper or cardboard so you can lay out the tile pattern on the floor this allows you to play with different designs and make changes before you install anything permanently to keep this project simple use a tile pattern that fits in the space without being cut simply by stacking the tile in straight rows when the design looks perfect on the template it's ready to go up on the wall now it's time to start tiling using an adhesive tile mat instead of mortar will save time and there's no mess begin by cutting the adhesive mat to size make sure to get the right mat for your project this one can hold tiles up to 7 pounds each so it's more than strong enough for this design peel off the white film and starting on the bottom corner stick the mat to the wall make sure it's straight and inside the area to be tiled then smooth out any air bubbles with a rubber float repeat this process all the way up the wall overlapping each sheet by about an eighth of an inch and just like that it's ready to tile once again starting at the bottom corner peel away the film on the first section of tile mat to reveal the adhesive sticky and carefully to the pattern on the template begin firmly pressing the tiles into place one of its use spacers to create even lines between them for graph for the tile directly above the hearth opening use a scrap board to create a temporary shelf because the adhesive mat requires no drying time the tile is ready to grout as soon as its installed mix up some non sanded grout to the consistency of mayonnaise you can choose from a lot of different grout colors so keep something that works well with new tile remove all the tile spacers then begin smearing the grout over the tile with the rubber grout float apply the graph by dragging across the surface of the tile with the long side of the float at a 45-degree angle to the tile so that it gets down into all the joints once the joints are filled wipe off the excess grout with the float almost perpendicular to the top don't worry if there's still some grout smeared on the surface of the tile after about 25 minutes or the amount of time on the ground instructions wipe the tile with a damp sponge then after an hour wipe it again with a dry clean cloth what you're left with is a clean tile finished with smooth grout lines in between now it's time to finish the room with a little design the walls can be painted as well for a really dramatic makeover the child is what makes the statement so by bringing in elements of the same color it ties the whole room together for a clean contemporary feel in just a couple days this entire wall has been completely reimagined now it makes a bold statement and with a low profile that actually takes up less space in the room youin just one weekend this fireplace is gone from dowdy and dated to sleek modern and elegant just by refacing it with tile it's a much simpler project than you think and run cost less than three hundred dollars to do this fireplace is a mishmash of too many dated elements it's bulky and it makes the room feel cluttered and old by replacing it with tile from floor to ceiling we can give it a clean sophisticated look that makes the whole space feel larger to get started the old wood and mantle has to go because this was obviously a later addition to the house it's just attached on top of the marble so it can easily be loosened from the wall with a simple pry bar the marble can be gently pried off the same way just be careful not to dent up the drywall during removal when it's down to the bare fireplace clean the wall of any dust and debris using a damp cloth now you want to decide how far out you want the tile on each side make sure it's at least as wide as the old mantle so the tile covers up any marks left on the wall and it meets up with any existing chair rail and baseboards just make sure it's symmetrical all the way up the wall you can use a level to draw your edges so you know it'll be perfectly straight next measure the area to be tiled to create a template using craft paper or cardboard so you can lay out the tile pattern on the floor this allows you to play with different designs and make changes before you install anything permanently to keep this project simple use a tile pattern that fits in the space without being cut simply by stacking the tile in straight rows when the design looks perfect on the template it's ready to go up on the wall now it's time to start tiling using an adhesive tile mat instead of mortar will save time and there's no mess begin by cutting the adhesive mat to size make sure to get the right mat for your project this one can hold tiles up to 7 pounds each so it's more than strong enough for this design peel off the white film and starting on the bottom corner stick the mat to the wall make sure it's straight and inside the area to be tiled then smooth out any air bubbles with a rubber float repeat this process all the way up the wall overlapping each sheet by about an eighth of an inch and just like that it's ready to tile once again starting at the bottom corner peel away the film on the first section of tile mat to reveal the adhesive sticky and carefully to the pattern on the template begin firmly pressing the tiles into place one of its use spacers to create even lines between them for graph for the tile directly above the hearth opening use a scrap board to create a temporary shelf because the adhesive mat requires no drying time the tile is ready to grout as soon as its installed mix up some non sanded grout to the consistency of mayonnaise you can choose from a lot of different grout colors so keep something that works well with new tile remove all the tile spacers then begin smearing the grout over the tile with the rubber grout float apply the graph by dragging across the surface of the tile with the long side of the float at a 45-degree angle to the tile so that it gets down into all the joints once the joints are filled wipe off the excess grout with the float almost perpendicular to the top don't worry if there's still some grout smeared on the surface of the tile after about 25 minutes or the amount of time on the ground instructions wipe the tile with a damp sponge then after an hour wipe it again with a dry clean cloth what you're left with is a clean tile finished with smooth grout lines in between now it's time to finish the room with a little design the walls can be painted as well for a really dramatic makeover the child is what makes the statement so by bringing in elements of the same color it ties the whole room together for a clean contemporary feel in just a couple days this entire wall has been completely reimagined now it makes a bold statement and with a low profile that actually takes up less space in the room you\n"
