I am interested in refacing a brick fireplace and hearth.

[wildeyed]

It is painted and sticks out a fair distance into the room. I am redoing the kitchen and den, where this fireplace resides, in a more modern style. The brick is so rustic, and I have never liked it much.

So here is my question; if I resurface the chimney in large travertine tiles, or something similar, how hard will it be to go back and rewire for a flat screen TV at a later date? The room has a difficult layout, and someday I would like a flat TV over the fireplace, but for now, I can't/won't afford it. I don't want to go to the trouble of resurfacing the fireplace and then have to redo it at a later date.

Also, any suggestions for resurfacing material? I am using a medium tone cork on the floor, cabinets in a light, flat front birch and a white countertop. It is a fairly contemporary look. I was thinking large travertine tiles for the fireplace. Not too expensive, and not too flashy. But I am open to other suggestions.

Here are pic. (I know, what a mess, but I have been soooo busy. Still haven't completely finished the #@*%! bathroom reno.)

[Stinky The Clown]

1. I've been in 'about to reply' mode for this thread since it was posted.

So much to think about .......

Getting anything to stick to that painted brick is an issue. Unless you remove the paint first, anything you put on the fireplace is stuck, at the end of the whole process, to a thin film of paint. Seems to me there are two choices: Remove the paint or apply a mechanically fastened substrate. Removing the paint is obvious - and a HUGE pain in the ass. The second choice is to try to screw some (1/4" is probably enough) backerboard to the brick and then stick the tile on that.

If you cover that entire edifice in a shiny material like stone tiles you'll have a huge, shiny monolith that may become as objectionable as the painted brick. The whole thing is simply huge, no matter how its finished.

Maybe there's some middle ground.

I notice you have some open wall space on either side of the fireplace and that you have some smaller piece of furniture on the left side. Maybe you could consider building some custom cabinetry on either side of the fireplace. Not to the ceiling, but some lower point and incorporate the brickwork into the design ..... with, say, stone on the face of the lower part of the brick, then a mantle that ties to the adjacent cabinets, and clad the upper part of the fireplace in wood that matches the cabinets. It would also be easier to inorporate the cabling for the future teevee.

[wildeyed]

3. It is huge, and the room is narrow,

which make it even more obnoxious. After the reno, the kitchen cabinets will come up to the right side, and I have ordered a storage piece that is similar to the kitchen cabinets to go on the left.

I was thinking maybe plaster? Or I could drywall it in, later when I am ready to do the flat TV, and that would make a place to run wires. I was also thinking of getting rid of the hearth. I have gas logs in there, so there is no real purpose to it, and the room is narrow, even an extra foot would be nice for furniture placement.

I dunno, probably better to just leave it as is, deal with it later. I just wanted to be certain there wasn't something that needed to be dealt with before the cabinets went in.

[NMDemDist2]

6. do you have enough floor tiles to fill in where the hearth is? and I

think when you "build in" the cabinets it will help it ALOT, especially if you put a thick (or add beveled moulding at an angle on the bottom), but narrow, mantel on it in the same wood as the cabinets (or as close as you can get) It will break up the HUGE expanse, give your eye something to rest on too.

I'm thinking whatever paint color you land on, paint the brick a couple tones lighter or darker (depending on the cabinets) and put small knick knacks on the mantel instead of the big mirror (which is making it "pop")

you know what designers say "If you can't get rid of the "problem" make it a focal point!" :rofl:

[wildeyed]

7. I would blow it up,

except that would make the house fall down. I put the mirror up to try to reflect more light into the room. But don't pay attention to any of the furniture. It is a hodge-podge, and most of it will go away after the reno.

The fridge is going next to the fireplace. That ought to distract from it :rofl: This plan really bothers a lot of people, but it was the only place I could find that really worked in the difficult floor plan. I hope to purchase a big, gorgeous stainless steel model to make the best of a weird situation.

I think the idea of a simple birch mantel is good. I actually know where to get one. A modern vase and maybe a candle or two for decoration. Nice and restful.

I am wrestling with paint color right now. I love the color of the room, but I think it is too dark. The room is north facing and doesn't get much light. Taking out the wall between the kitchen and den will help, but so would a lighter wall color. I might go a little darker with the fireplace, maybe explore the faux painting idea, maybe combine that with some plastering. My living room is faux painted and I love it. De-emphasizes the walls a bit. And I am thinking about using the same shade of gold in the kitchen, so it might tie together nicely.

on edit: What is going on with the new house? See anything good?

[Dora]

2. I like H2S's idea. Have you considered changing the paint color?

The white really stands out. Both my mother and I have repainted our fireplaces and been very satisfied with the results. My fireplace was basically drywalled in, and I used a terra-cotta colored basecoat, then sponged a dilute gold shimmer on top. The result was a very neutral-toned but slightly reflective fireplace.

Mom's fireplace was a fugly cinder? slag? block behemoth. She hired out her repainting, but was also very pleased with the results.

[wildeyed]

4. I guess it is hard to tell from the photo,

but the fireplace is painted a mid-toned gray, same as the rest of the room. When I redo it, I am considering changing the room color to straw, make the whole place lighter and brighter. Maybe I will leave it as-is for now, deal with the whole mess later.

Do you have a picture of your fireplace? I am having a hard time visualizing it.

[Dora]

5. No pictures of that fireplace. And I don't live there any more.

At the time that I painted it, I was fascinated by faux finish painting techniques. I went to a free how-to "workshop" at Home Depot, and then I picked my colors, went home, and painted it.

The thing to remember when sponging paint is that the color you sponge on top of your base coat isn't pure, straight-from-the-can paint. You use a clear glaze that you tint yourself with the paint color of your choice. This creates a translucent effect that allows your base color to come through. In my case, I picked a metallic gold shade from the Ralph Lauren palette, and it brightened the terracotta base coat without being overtly metallic. Some of the paint lines at Home Depot probably have faux finish brochures with sample images. There are also books on faux finish painting techniques. You can use sea sponges (not acrylic/cellulose kitchen sponges), wadded up plastic bags, paint rollers, rags... whatever you decide to use to actually apply your glaze coat will determine the pattern and texture of the finished product. Some experimenting on plywood or cardboard is the best thing to do before you start.