About that other Fireplace

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there were four fireplaces that had been covered over before I took ownership.  There was some debate about how many to restore.  After discussing pros and cons with my brother, I settled on restoring two of them.

The second one was in the dining room.  The original mantel and tile had been removed.  The opening had been bricked shut as well.   I was able to find a mantel that fit the flue wall perfectly.  It just required some elbow grease to strip, sand, and stain it to match the trim work in the dining room.

The firebox was rebuilt and the hearth area was prepared for tile.

I found tile in a teal/blue that worked well with the wallpaper I had chosen. I was satisfied with this look...well let's say for awhile.

You guessed it.  It was time for a change!  Rather than remove the existing tile, I cut a mirror into small pieces and used tile adhesive to stick it to the existing tiles in a mosaic fashion.  Next came the grout and, Voila!  Anyone reading this knows it was not that easy or quick.  I lost a few ounces of blood in the process but I persevered.