fireplace makeover
I heard or read of someone redo the bricks on their fireplace. The project was to take cement and fill in the areas between the brick to make it all level. I would like to do this and then proceed to place beautiful tiles on it to help make it a focal point in the living room. Has anyone ever heard of this, Do you think it SHOULD be attempted? What grade of cement should I use. I have 80 lb bags of Quikcrite here at home, ( going to use them to make my own stepping stones to backyard? Sometime people tell about a project and it really shouldn't be done. If anyone has exerience in masonary, I would love their input, or even better yet, if you have done it yourselves, I would love to speak with you. Thanks so much for all the great ideas and suggestions here at this group. I sometimes read them with great intentions and when I turn the computer off, I allow the notion of ripping off roof and putting on 2nd story to home to fly right away, LOL Thanks Lisa
Quikrete isn't what you want. The gravel in it will screw up your best-laid plans. Quick question: do you plan to use this fireplace to build fires in ever again? (They do make some very convincing electric "fake fires"; I sold one once to a woman who wanted to build a fireplace out of plywood, then build a real fire in it...right after I picked myself up off the floor. I've heard of West Virginia Wood Stoves [made of real wood and guaranteed to burn three hours] but until this lady walked in never heard of anyone who really wanted to make one. Some of y'all laugh about the associates at the Home Depots and Lowes' and we laugh about some of you.) If you're not going to build a fire in the fireplace, start with Sakrete Concrete Bonder and Fortifier. This is a primer. You brush it onto the old masonry, then use Sakrete Surface Bonding Cement as a skim coat to make the masonry flat. After that you lay regular ceramic tile in the traditional manner. If you're going to build fires in it, you're in the refractory market...as I put in another post, the refractory cement is well over $1.50 a pound. I don't even want to think about what refractory tiles cost. -- --jmowreader
Tile is not a good idea in a fireplace because it will expand I am interested in this question since I have also been contemplating putting tile on our brick fireplace. Question about tile coming off eventually: There are a fair number of Edwardian and Victorian houses still around that have tile surrounds to the fireplaces, and the tiles are still in place now, 100 yrs later. Did they have a special way of attaching the tiles so that they stayed? Anyone know? Thanks! Ann