How'd She Do That?

Do-It-Yourself Fireplace

From This:

To This:

This cost less than $100 to do,

and It made a Huge Difference!

[I'm not counting the flooring,

Because we are putting that throughout the main level]

First,

I Primed the Mantle,

Using a High Hiding Primer-

I Use that on EVERYTHING,

So, its just what I had on hand.

Then I Used Kettle Black by Valspar in Satin finish,

I believe I did Two Coats.

Then I Sanded the Edges,

and Where I wanted More

Depth/Definition.

I Really Need to Put a

Clear Protective Coat on it,

But I haven't Done that Yet.

So just for Future Reference,

I'm going to do it.

In Fact, Pretend I Already Did,

that will save me the time.

Then came the brick.

Which, since it required REMOVING

the Mantle,

I may have done it the

Other Way Around,

Brick First, Then Mantle.

Brick was much cheaper

Than I had Thought,

and Since this was a Small area,

I didn't need many bricks.

I used a THIN-CUT Brick,

It's a full size Brick,

that's been cut to

only abou 1/2 inch Thickness.

I'll summarize the brick process,

and if you want more details,

let me know.

Summary Follows:

Remove Tile,

Repair Drywall damage,

Staple "chicken Wire"

Apply Thin-Set Mortar

Dry 24 hours

Then use Mortar and Stick those Bricks On,

Let Dry,

Fill in Cracks,

Pray Nothing Falls Off.

[Very Important]

Wah-La!