Living in High Gloss: Tiling the Fireplace Surround

We’ve been working hard on our fireplace redo!  After finishing the mantel and laying the slate hearth, we started on the surround.

Remember what the fireplace looked like before?

First, Doug chipped off those cream ho-hum tiles edging the space.  Goodbye!  Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

This was the first time I saw the actual structure of the house.  Doug, of course, was prepared for the ugly truth.  I had no idea how much I’d appreciate dry wall after I saw what I saw:

Insert horror film scream here.

Just like he did on our slate floor, Doug secured Hardy Board over the plaster where the tiles were to create a smooth surface and protect the space.

It was overwhelming trying to pick the perfect tile.  There are so many options.  But Doug and I really impressed the sales woman when we were in complete agreement on the tiles below. We loved that these glass tiles were staggered and that they reflect different colors depending on the lighting.

Doug, bless his heart, did all the tiling himself.

After he finished the outward-facing section, Doug used Hardy Board in the area of the exposed plaster on the inside.  He even cut all those tiny glass pieces small enough to fit – a very, very daunting task.

Next he used a grout float to cover the tiles and then removed the grout with a sponge per grout instructions.

When each and every beautiful piece of tile was secured, the fireplace looked something like this:

There’s still one more step we’ll take to make the fireplace perfect. (Stay tuned!)  Once the fireplace is done, we will hide those cords and implement the rest of the High Gloss Plan.

Don’t go far — We’ll share the transformation step by step right here!

Want to see the big fireplace reveal? Click here for the next installment of Living in High Gloss!

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