Commonly considered a focal point of the home, the fireplace is an area where a little sprucing up can go a long way. Since the beginning of house time, families have gathered around fireplaces for their comforting warmth, adorned them with their most valuable pieces of art or meaningful heirlooms, and showcased them at many a social engagement. The central role in the household gives it status — and thus, attention. With that said, I knew I had to get my fireplace off the D-List and into the big leagues — it was time for a DIY fireplace remodel.
DIY fireplace project that transformed my living room
There’s no shortage of creativity and flair when it comes to old fireplace ideas. Maybe that’s how the idea of introducing a teensy taste of sparkle seeped into my ultra-grey grey matter when it came to my DIY fireplace project. Although demure, I felt a little sparkle would offer a nice contrast from my mostly matte palette while still playing nicely with its surroundings. And since I’m a sucker for texture, an updated stone would deliver that variety but with much more polish than its predecessor. Plus, Arctic White marble 6 in. x 24 in. ledger panels are just look cool… like, ice-cold cool. Eh? Eh?
1. Prepping for a stacked-stone DIY fireplace
Since I was starting with jagged rock, I knew I needed to create a flat and smooth surface to adhere to the new stacking stones. This could be achieved one of two ways: by chiseling it all out and starting over again from a blank slate or going over what was already there. I decided to go with the latter and entomb the existing in a new concrete shell as my canvas.
To avoid a perma-mudslide in my living room, I employed another layer of contact using metal lathe to blanket in the 500+ lbs of concrete. These sheets were then carefully wrapped around the front and sides, conforming to its backing. Note: Metal lathe can be EXTREMELY sharp — something to be mindful of when working with it in any capacity. To achieve a snug hold, I hammered the lathe into the old stone using concrete nails at regular intervals. Once the concrete dried, it was less of a concern, as the materials would serve to stabilize one another. But until then, I didn’t want an avalanche of metal and concrete while I worked. Once the lathe was firmly attached, it was time for the concrete phase.
2. Smoothing out the old fireplace surface
For this, I mixed my concrete in a large tub, scooped it onto a trowel, and applied it vertically. This process is very similar to the concept of skimming sheetrock, except much heavier — and messier. Since I was working with an imperfect surface, I tried to flatten while evening out the depth as much as humanly detectable. Luckily, I have a pretty good eye for this, and I was able to rely on my twitching eye meticulous nature to carry me through, but it was an imperfect science.
3. Out with the old, in with the new, aka stone application time!
Now that my exoskeleton was dry and complete, it was on to the good stuff! To apply the stacking stone, I scraped a generous amount of flex mortar (enough to achieve a firm hold) to the back of each piece using my trowel and a little to the fireplace itself. I also applied a little along the top and bottom to eliminate any noticeable gaps between pieces. I stacked each piece on top o the row beneath it, interlocking it with the adjoining pieces. I repeated this process, stepping back to check for a straight, even, and seamless surface as I went.
To even out any excess mortar, I employed a thinning technique of running a wet sponge and brush across the whole surface of the rock and essentially “painted” on the water (similar to paper maché). This blending effect prevented it from looking globbed around the seams and helped it dry nearly undetectable.
When it came to cutting the pieces to length for the corner and side pieces, I used a basic wet saw similar to this one. (Just double-check the specs on size and material cutting capabilities.) When placing your stone, something to keep in mind is that your starting piece at the corners determines your pattern. To add in a little more variety, you can start from opposite ends as you move from one row to the next so that you don’t have one side with all shorter seams and the other with longer.
DIY Fireplace Pro Tips:
I apparently thought I was a fine artist, and the concrete was my medium. But unlike a potter who uses their hands as tools to artfully mold and shape to perfection, I served up my once-silken flesh mounds for the slaughter. (Newsflash to my past self: concrete is not clay and will dry the *&%$! out of your hands.) Seriously, the effect will be substantial if you shirk off wearing gloves (as I did); think the aftermath of Thanksgiving dishwashing X 1000. It’s like taking a baby to a battlefield. Please don’t do it.
Also, this is going to be messy. Luckily, I knew I would be replacing my floors anyway, so I didn’t even attempt to be careful. But if you don’t have throwaway floors, coverage of surrounding surfaces is a good idea.
I’ll be honest with you… this fireplace has never actually seen a fire, at least not since I’ve lived here. Sure, I’m a form-over-function gal any regular ol’ day of the week. But in this case, it might be justified given my locale and general lack of wilderness survival skills. However, my cats (aka the actual homeowners) use it to lounge, and I’d say they’re pretty happy customers.
Shop the looks!
Like what you see? Here are some DIY fireplace remodel materials inspired by the looks here that will beautify your fireplace in no time.(Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional charge to you.)
4 responses to “DIY Fireplace: How to Go From Sad to Stunning”
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Thank you for this incredible fireplace inspiration! That stone is gorgeous!
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
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