The Dining Room - Fireplace Side....

It's been a whirlwind of "catching up" around here over the past couple of weeks.... my apologies for my absence (I have duly chastised myself and have recorded my poor performance on my permanent record, lol!)

Outside of my grown-up job,  kids, "taxi duty" and life in general, I have found time to wrap up a few projects around the house.

I re-worked the fireplace surround on the dining room side.  You can read about the process and before & afters of the Living Room side here.  


This is where I started...

(yes.... those are candles in the firebox!  For the holidays, I had them nestled in greenery and holly from the yard.  After the holidays..... just sad!)

Using the same technique from the opposite side and these products...

a few hours later, we wound up with this...

No grout yet.... but I did decide to tile that small area just above the molding and below the firebox, just to pull it all together.  You can see that portion in the first photo.

As far as the firebox...

check back tomorrow for the reveal.  Less than one hour and $20, and it looks SOOO much better!

Linking this to...

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Living Room Part II... the Fireplace Finale

The walls and ceiling have been painted, and now the fireplace is complete.

I haven't added the "finishing touches" to the mantle yet.... but that's the fun part.  The picture above the fireplace has been hanging out in my hall way (literally) for almost a year waiting for a new locale.  It's a "just 'cause" gift from my man and is one of my favorite pieces!

I love the way the tile turned out... gives the fireplace a frame and keeps it from blending into the walls.  This is a dual-sided wood burning fireplace that you access from the living room and dining room.  I haven't burned it in years, though, cause the doors on both sides close with a magnetic strip.  Years ago I was loading wood in on one side and the log rolled out the other!  The doors still make me nervous to this day.

Last year when we constructed the "man cave" downstairs, we had the gas line added so we could eventually use this as a gas fireplace.  Maybe next year...

I used heat resistant spray paint (for wood stoves and grills) to cover the shiny brass trim around the edges of the glass doors and the handles.  I like it better now and it doesn't seem as dated as before.

If you've never tried the "Simple Mat" tile mat I showed in yesterday's post, you really should.  It's so easy to use.   You just cut it to size, adhere it to the wall, then pull the front plastic off to adhere the tiles. The "glue" on the front is like monkey glue... once the tiles are down and pushed into place, they aren't movin'!  Depending on the size of your job, the mats can get expensive.  But it's well worth it if you've never tiled and want to do it yourself.  My first project was the back splash & top of my kitchen cabinets  2 years ago, and I'm so glad I did it myself.  It has held up and still looks great!

The tiles come in a 12" square on a mesh background... they can be cut to size, too.  Then just grout with the pre-mixed grout (comes in your choice of colors), let dry and wash down.  That's it!

The whole process took about 5 hours over 2 days; 2 hours to lay the mat and tile, and the rest for grouting (that part takes the longest), at a cost of around $60- give or take.

Works for me!

  Let me know what you think.  Next up.... new window treatments.  Stay tuned.

Linking here...

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2011/11/transformation-thursday_09.html
http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2011/11/09/hookin-up-with-hoh-74/
http://www.alchemyfineliving.com/blog/2011/11/09/from-trash-to-treasure-linky-party-2/
http://makinglemonadeblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/refresh-your-nest-friday-9.html
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2011/11/frugal-friday_10.html
http://www.happyhourprojects.com/2011/11/freestyle-friday-15.html
http://indulgencesobx.blogspot.com/2011/11/living-room-part-ii-fireplace-finale.html