Tool Recommendations for
Fireplace Remodeling

The best thing about starting a new project is buying new tools!

We have a friend, Bob, who always goes out and buys the very best (and most expensive) tool every time he starts a new project. We tend to be more cost conscious in our tool-buying decisions and always want the best tool in mid-price range. But often times we will start with a low end tool, then graduate to something more expensive when we have done a couple of projects with the tool and can make a good judgment call on the best tool for the job.

Here are some basic tools to consider when you are ready to start your fireplace remodeling project:

Tile Saws

Most fireplaces don't have a lot of tile, but you will need a tile saw to make clean cuts. You can rent one, but then you need to make sure you get all your cutting done in one day. This can be a lot of pressure when you are working on the focal point in your house.

Below is a range of tile saws and the pros and cons of each. If you are just doing a fireplace, you may want the low-end saw. But if a bathroom in on your list of to-do projects, you probably want to think bigger.

Low End

We originally bought an inexpensive (read cheap) Plasplugs tile saw - the one that resembles a small table saw. It was serviceable, and it lasted through the fireplace, a kitchen and half a bathroom before dying. We wouldn't buy another Plasplugs model, but the equivalent MK Diamond product is this MK145.

Pros

Cons

Mid Market

We replaced our low-end saw with a MK Diamond MK-470, which has remained our workhorse for the last several years. Amazon still lists the 470, but the MK Diamond site no longer lists it - the closest model seems to be the MK 370. This is a good middle of the road product - while it doesn't have the capacity of the larger pro saws, its *much* more portable, which is important to us. The MK 370 EXP has an extended cutting range for larger tiles, and a tilting head for miter cuts.

Pros

Cons

Bob's Choice

If you are cutting really large tiles, or trying to miter-cut corners, you may find that you need a larger saw. We've used Bob's MK 101 PRO, and it was very pleasant to use, but moving the saw is a two person job - two strong people. If we were buying a large saw today, though, I'd probably lean towards the DeWalt D24000 - great capacity, features like tilt and plunge, and significantly, more portable than the MK Diamond tools because it can be readily broken down and carried a piece at a time.

Pros

Cons

Hammer Drill

Ever tried to drill hole with a masonry bit in a standard drill? If so, you probably wondered what the point of the special bit was - it is agonizingly slow! Put that same bit in a hammer drill, though, and you can plunge straight into brick as if it were wood.

When driving a Tapcon screw, you really do need a drill/driver at least, or perhaps an impact driver.

If you don't mind taking a little extra time to drill your holes, many of the nicer cordless drills have a hammer mode. Our current workhorse drill/driver is an older 18V DeWalt hammer drill, but Barbara finds it heavy for continued use. I wouldn't recommend anything less than 18V for NiCd.

Good

The drill we use for most jobs is the Milwaukee 5378. Its just the right combination of power and reasonable weight. Incidentally, this drill has two speeds and a non-hammering mode, so it also works great for more demanding drilling tasks, like driving larger hole saws. We use ours all the time for plumbing (2 3/4", 3 1/8", and 4" saws) and drilling the latchset holes when hanging doors.

Better

Your best bet today, and a drill I've used and liked quite a lot is the 18V Makita Lithium-Ion hammer drill/driver (BHP451). While 18V, the Lithium Ion batteries are lighter and perform much better than the previous generation of batteries - they feel more like a 14.4 V in weight, but outperform the older 18V tool.

Best

For what its worth, the Makita LXT202 kit includes the hammer drill/driver above, plus a BTD140 impact driver. The impact driver is a great tool, but if you use it to drive Tapcon masonry screws when putting up concrete backerboard, you have to be very careful not to overdrive (and therefore strip) the screws. This little impact driver is so powerful you can easily drive a deck screw right through a dry Douglas Fir board.

Table Saws

If you are going to build your own mantel, you're going to need a good table saw for things like processing hardwood or cutting dados in cabinet components. We have a cheap, light Ryobi saw for quick and dirty jobsite use. Not recommended - the only thing to recommend it is that its *really* cheap, light and easy to throw into the truck to take to a jobsite, and it has a built-in stand. We once had a Ryobi BT3000, now also sold by Sears under their own label. Also not recommended, though it too had some nice features. Too many plastic parts in critical wear points and hard to keep in adjustment.

Portable

A better choice for a portable saw, and in fact one that can do a serviceable job in a garage shop, would be the Bosch 4000-09 Worksite saw. We just finished a large deck project where we made good use of this saw, and we were very impressed.

Pros

Cons

Mid Market

In the shop, our daily workhorse is the DeWalt DW746, which is a very nice saw. In particular, with the optional sliding table (DW7461), its a great value. That saw was the first "hybrid" saw to come out, which combines the features of a contractors saw with the more traditional cabinet saws like the Delta Unisaw and the Powermatic Model 66. In short, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Pros

Cons

Bob's Choice

We've used Bob's Powermatic Model 66 extensively, and that's a great saw. But even so, we miss the sliding miter table, and dust collection system which is just a shop vac sucking on the built-in dust port on the Dewalt. But Bob just bought a several-thousand-dollar Oneida cyclone system set up. That ought to take care of any dust problems he's having, as well as any loose tools and small children in the vicinity.

Pros

Cons

Panel Saw (or Not)

When you are working with large sheet goods for making panels and pillars (and even some mantels) a table saw just won't work well. Even with a large out-feed table, its extremely difficult to accurately move a full sheet of material through a table saw. We bought a panel saw for quick dimensioning of panels into manageable chunks, but we have been pretty displeased with it (see our review here).

Though we don't sell it here, year ago, we invested in a Festool system, which consists of a circular saw and various lengths of guide rails. It was a big cost, but since buying it, we haven't used our even more expensive panel saw even once. The Festool is accurate, requires very little storage space, and provides for the best dust collection we've ever seen on a saw. In short, a terrific product.

The Festool system is no replacement for a table saw, though, and so for things like processing hardwood or cutting dados in cabinet components, we still make heavy use of our table saw.

Fasteners

In the book, we refer to "Tapcon" screws, which are manufactured by ITW Buildex. These are generally available at your local hardware store, but you can also order them from here:

3/16 x 1 1/4 Flat head (suitable for 1/4 or 1/2" backerboard onto brick)

1/4 x 3 3/4 flat head (suitable for fastening furring strips to brick or block)

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