Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Fireplace Redo

"To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world.” Charles Dudley Warner
I can clearly remember my grandfather chopping wood in the backyard of their home in Germany! My breath would fog up the window as I watched as he heaved his axe and split each piece with such precision and yet seemingly so little effort. Since then having a fireplace in my home has always been part of my wish list. No home is complete without its cozy, crackling fire...Well, this time I got two!

Each fireplace was ten feet wide and covered in faux rock from floor to ceiling. In a much bigger living room I may have liked them the way they came, however in the small space it currently occupies it sucked out every bit of available light and turned it into a prehistoric cave. Hence the demolition of epic proportions ensued! The amount of dust, rock pieces, cinderblock...I'm not sure how we survived it. Tear down took two days using a hammer drill with a chisel bit. It took another day to clean the cinderblock of the remaining mortar left behind!

During reconstruction of this first fireplace, I had to level the hearth with self leveling cement, cover the top with dry wall and hardibacker for the tile. The tile was on clearance at Lowe's. It was my first time tiling and in retrospect I'd do a couple of things differently. I guess I get my chance in the other unit!!! Right now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and not sure I even want to open the doors of our other unit. This remodel is definitely much more work than I ever anticipated it would be. Unfortunately all seven of us can't fit in just the one side, so starting the other side will come soon enough!!!

In case you're wondering, the color on the top half of the fireplace is Sherwin Williams Passive Blue, the bottom half is Valspar Dove White and the living room wall color is Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice.

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