Fireplace Refacing, Remodeling, and Updating

Welcome to our fireplace remodeling gallery. Scroll down to see some fun before and after pictures. They are some great transformations!

Interested in doing your own fireplace remodel? It is not that hard! Take a look at our book for advice on "How to Remodel a Fireplace".

Floor to Ceiling Fireplace Before

This cinder block fireplace in a downstairs family room had been stained over time and was in need of a face-lift.  It made the room feel small because of its mass and the fireplace lacked style.

After Fireplace Remodel with Tile Refacing

The new fireplace design was simple, but elegant.  The fireplace was refaced in Italian tile.  A small mantel was added to the fireplace to update it and tie in with the crown moulding. The mass was reduced by using textured sheetrock above the fireplace mantel to match the existing walls.  The room was then  painted to bring out some of the interesting colors in the tile.

Brick Fireplace Before

This is a brick fireplace before the fireplace remodeling.  Since the fireplace was in its original brick form, it made it fairly straightforward to reface it with a natural stone look. 

After Stone Fireplace Remodel

The client wanted a more natural stone surface from floor to ceiling. The brick fireplace was faced with manufactured stone and the result was dramatic.  The room was transformed with a warmth that had previously been lacking.

Painted Brick Fireplace Before

This is a brick fireplace that had been painted white.  The whole room had recently been remodeled leaving the fireplace looking like the last vestige of the older house.  It was also lacking a significant mantel, which the client found limiting.

After Remodeling Fireplace with Tile

This fireplace remodel required backer board installation before the fireplace was faced with Italian tile.  Tile should not be laid directly over a painted brick on a fireplace.  A custom mantel was added to the top that tied it in nicely to the window and floor trim.  The new fireplace design made their remodel look complete.

Our book on Fireplace Remodeling goes into detail on how to apply backer board to a painted brick fireplace so that you can attach the tile securely to the surface.

If you would rather buy a mantel than build it, this shelf mantel is a good alternative.

Oddly Proportioned Fireplace Before

This fireplace design was out of proportion - the sides were too narrow and the top too deep.  The fireplace mantel was also out of proportion. 

The client was happy with the painted brick surface of their fireplace, so this fireplace was remodeled with a simple mantel and pilasters designed to bring the fireplace into proportion.

After Fireplace Update

Floor to Ceiling Fireplace Before

This was another painted brick fireplace that needed to be remodeled because of the way it dominated the room. The new owners of this house wanted the fireplace faced with materials that complemented their furnishings.

After Fireplace Refacing

The updated fireplace design tied nicely into the decor in the room.  The client chose a dark natural custom oak fireplace mantel that matched the floors and the fireplace was faced with beautiful tile that worked perfectly with their furniture.

Our book on Fireplace Remodeling goes into detail on how to apply sheetrock and how to build a custom mantel.

Brick Fireplace Before

This brick fireplace had a dramatic makeover. The original fireplace dominated a room that was filled with beautiful built-in custom cabinets.  The mass was too large for the room and the fireplace style was vintage 50s so it looked out-of-place with all the white-painted wood in the room.

The homeowner did most of the fireplace remodeling with a little assistance from us.

After Brick Fireplace Update

The remodeled fireplace design matched the custom cabinets and bookshelves in the room.  The surround was faced with used brick and the rest of the fireplace was paneled.  The result was quite elegant and looked like it had been there for 100 years (Never mind that the house is only 50 years old).

Lava Rock Fireplace Before

Sorry for the lousy picture. This was a client's lava rock fireplace. In modern fireplaces, most of the surfaces are just facades covering a cinderblock or brick fireplace. In remodeling the fireplace, the surface can be stripped off.

If you are planning on doing this yourself, please remove only the surface and do not touch the underlying brick. There is more about how to do this safely in our book Remodeling a Fireplace.

After Fireplace Remodeling

Once the stone is removed, the fireplace can be faced in tile, brick, or another type of stone facade. This client wanted tile. Needless to say, this one change of fireplace facing completely transformed their living room.

This is mantel was built buy us, but you can also buy a nice pre-made mantel and have it custom-sized for your fireplace.

Our Own Brick Fireplace with Cantilevered Hearth (Before)

The fireplace in our own home was a real period piece - cantilevered concrete hearth, pink 2x8 brick with embedded quartz, broken tiles on the hearth - an in-your-face mass dominating the room. Additionally, we were desperately short of storage for such mundane things as newspapers waiting for recycling day, games, and art supplies for the children.

We used to walk through the front door and just cringe at the pink monster that was the center piece of our home.

After Fireplace Remodeling

We built custom drawers under the cantilevered hearth, and installed a matching custom mantle. The brick was faced in natural slate in a neutral but interesting color, and the mass was reduced by using textured sheetrock above the mantle to match the existing walls. (Ok, so we also cleaned up our house a little bit!)

Do you want to do fireplace remodeling yourself?  You may want to look at our Fireplace Remodeling Book or get some inspiration from these fireplace remodels done by people who purchased our book.