My wife Kelly and I did not appreciate the existing tile fireplace surround. Gray blah tile...all the fashion in the late eighties You can see the wonderful before shot pictured to the right. Not much tile to replace so lets do it we thought. I got busy in the demolition mode and took out the old depressing gray tile and were ready for the new. This is where the quick little project turn into a year and a half long quest. Ah yes...indecision...We decided at first to keep it simple and elegant...black marble tile. Of coarse, after endlessly searching for the best pricing in town and getting a sample, we began second guessing ourselves. We both hated the black marble. After that we moved on to stacked stone unfortunately we were not able to find the right coloring there either.
Next we agreed on a standard 16" travertine tile.
After all it was stone and reasonably priced
Because of our famous indecision when it comes to our own home porjects,
we decided to go all in and purchase not just a sample but all the tile for the job. We will surely not back out now. Wrong!
Once we got the tile home, we had to lay it out and let it sink in for a few days before we made it a final decision. Unfortunately our indecision took over again. We let the fireplace sit without tile for another six months until we finally found what would be our final choice. What did we choose. A year and a half later... Read on.
The beginning, taking out the old...Sept 2010
Finally finding the agreed upon tile, an inch and a half thick travertine French pattern tile. The color is a warm light brown similar to a darker Austin stone.
Deciding on the layout... Note one of our samples of staked stone on the left of the fireplace.
Trial and error...
Cutting and laying in place...
I had to remove the surround base to fit it the extra thick travertine.
Nearly done with the base.
Cutting the frame pieces...
Here, all of the side pieces are place and I am starting the tedious top pieces that need to be held in place while drying over-night.
The last piece has to fit just right.
Using premixed thin set to allow for repeated use. This is a bit more expensive but allows for much more freedom when it comes to the timeline. Standard thin-set will harden quickly and what is not used is wasted.
The final piece is in place and setting. The surround base pieces are cut down to fit and are nailed back in place.
The tile is in now we are ready for the new trim.
New trim is in. I need to filling the nail holes chalk and match the paint to the rest of the hearth paint.
Final shot yet to come...
The next photo shows the tile with the
sealer/enhancer applied. This brings out the
rich colors in the stone.
Finally complete! The new trim at the edge of the stone is caulked and painted to match. Now we are ready for Christmas.
