After getting some professional advice about the layout of our living room, we started with a long-overdue fireplace remodel. After we found and stained the perfect mantel, we created a hearth in front of it.
Just to be clear, when I say “we” I usually mean Doug. I had plenty of aesthetic influence, but, klutz as I am, I deserve no credit for any of the manual labor.
Doug laid two rows of 12 x 12 slate squares for the hearth. We like the easy, clean lines and that they are used elsewhere in our house.
Before securing anything, Doug screwed Hardie Board to the ground under our two rows. Hardie Board is a flat board (go figure) that protects your home’s structure from moisture and humidity. (We figured it could prevent from heat and sparks, too.) Doug used a float trowel to lay thin-set mortar, which adheres the slates to the Hardie Back in perfect strips.
He then carefully placed the spacers between the slates and applied the grout. Instead of spending money on a wood trowel, Doug used a regular ole’ 2 x 4. Such a thinker that one.
He set the grout according to the package directions and removed the excess with a wet sponge. Then he applied a a seal enhancer to protect the slate and make the color pop.
Isn’t it to DIY for? I love that each of the slate pieces have enough differences to create interest. Their colors also work really well with the black mantel.
Next we had to choose a substance for the fireplace surround. The tiles we picked still make me swoon. Stay tuned!
Want to see the finished product? Click here to see the tiles we chose and here to see the final product!
