Fresh Fireplace Facade

Have you updated your home recently? Maybe you've painted and retextured your walls, switched out light fixtures and purchased a flat screen TV. It's an improvement, but you still haven't quite achieved the look you want. Have you thought of updating your fireplace?

Fireplaces can be updated in many ways. Depending on the original structure of your fireplace, you may be able to move the mantel, change the hearth or give the entire brick veneer a facelift. That is what our homeowner did to achieve an Old World look in their West Amarillo home.

The former space consisted of a kitchen, living and dining area. The owners were interested in combining the living area and kitchen and incorporating an Old World charm with modern technology. One of the main focal points in this area was the original red brick fireplace and wooden mantel. While the homeowners had enjoyed the wood burner's function, the red brick did not represent an Old World feel. The new facade would be made of lightweight cast concrete that simulates stone. Stone columns and rope accents would be added for architectural interest. The homeowners also wanted to incorporate a plasma flat screen TV above the fireplace. The new TV placement would allow TV viewing from the kitchen, dining area and every angle of the living room.

The homeowners liked many things about their current space: the carpeting, cabinet built-ins, and crown molding. However, the synthetic stone applied to the brick fireplace facing will add approximately two inches to the depth of the surface brick so some modifications would be necessary. We wanted to make sure to preserve and reuse the elements we could.

To begin the project, existing carpeting was removed and saved to be reused later. Audio/video cables were run down and notch cut in front of the brick fireplace. An electrical outlet was installed in the fireplace for the plasma TV and an outlet for general use above the mantel. New cabinet doors to the left and right of the fireplace had to be made and the crown molding was modified to accommodate the new fireplace facade. The existing gas shutoff had to be relocated because it conflicted with the location of a stone column.

The existing hearth was rebuilt to allow for deeper seating. A "scratch coat" of thinset was applied over the existing bricks to provide a uniform surface to attach the stone tiles and columns. The stone tiles, columns and trim completely covered the former red brick fagade. Wooden crown molding was reinstalled at the top of the fireplace. Rope trim was added to the bookcase moldings to complement the Old World feel.

Now, the homeowners have the Old World feel while maintaining the functionality of their wood burning fireplace with added Plasma TV modern technology.

Bobby Sanders is a Certified Graduate Remodelor™ (CGR) with an exclusive professional designation designed to emphasize business manage¬ment skills as the key to a professional remodeling operation.

The CGR designation requires that graduates meet prescribed standards of business practice, possess a minimum of five years remodeling industry experience, have a proven track record of 'successful project management, complete a comprehensive education curriculum, and pledge to uphold the program's code of ethics.

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