Operation Hearth Re-Tile - The Tile Shop Inspiration

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may remember that over the winter I developed a major itch to demo our old fireplace hearth and replace it with something dreamy {and more our taste} from The Tile Shop.

When we purchased our home, we were sooo excited to have a fireplace, but the finishes of it definitely weren’t our style.

We knew the quickest, easiest and most inexpensive way to fix that was to paint what didn’t work.

The wood trim got a fresh coat of white, and so did the dingy, dirty red brick.

The brass screen was sprayed painted a brushed silver, and the worn, unattractive red tile was primed and painted a charcoal gray.  {Don't mind the old Christmas decorations...we moved in on Christmas Eve.}

That solution worked for the short-term.  It helped to bring our fireplace into this decade, but then, you know me...I grew tired of the paint chipping up, and I started dreaming of how much better the fireplace could be.  In other words, I got antsy to cross another project off the list.  I decided it was time to try my hand at tiling.  Ahhhh!!

To get some inspiration for the project, I headed to The Tile Shop showroom, which luckily, just opened a few months ago near our house.  I thought I would make a bee-line for the marble tile choices, but I was mistaken.  The minute I stepped in their doors, I was drawn to all the beautiful displays they had set up.  My absolute favoriteeeee was this bathroom.  I loved every. single. thing. about. it.

After lots of unintentional browsing, I was able to remind myself that I was there for our hearth project, not for a bathroom re-do…so I made my way to the marble mosaic tiles.  I think it's safe to say that I am obsessed with marble tile.  The white and grey veining is perfect for our home, and I love that it’s a classic material.  If it's cut into square tiles, it can be traditional....subway tiles, it can be classic...and then there is the hex tile.  Ahhhhh, the hex tile.  Pardon me while I swoon. ;)

I love that in marble, the hex tile is a classic choice, with a modern twist...perfect for the look we wanted to achieve on our hearth!  {And I'm not gonna lie...some subway tile in a herringbone pattern would also be UH-mazing, but the thought of that was a little nerve-wracking for me to take on for my first tile job.  Eeeeek!!  Maybe that'll be the right choice for a backsplash when the time comes. ;)}

Thank you, Tile Shop for totally indulging my love of hex tiles.  I was able to drool all over them and narrow down my choice to the 1" and 2" mosaics, seen above. 

So with all of that inspiration in mind, it was time to get to business.  I was ready to show that old hearth who is boss!!

***Although I was super, duper lucky to get some free tile and materials for this project from The Tile Shop, this is not a sponsored post.  I've always promised to keep it real with you guys, so I wanted to let you guys know how much they rock! :)***

New Surround-ings

I can now add another "I've done that" to my DIY list of accomplishments. What am I talking about? Tiling the fireplace surround. I was a little hesitant at first since this was my first time tiling and also because it is a wall, which I read was more difficult to tile than a floor. But fear not, it wasn't hard.

Of course I'm going to tell you how I tackled tiling the surround, but I am not going to advertise this as a how-to. Why? Because it was my first time tiling and it was more trial and error than how-to. I do suggest researching some expert tutorials and asking the pros questions before you just dive in head first. I used this DIY tile forum and it really helped boost my confidence and the finished project. My only words of advice for tiling - make sure the first row of tiles is level. I got off easy on this since I was starting from the concrete floor.

Let's get started with the tiling project. First, the needed weapons tools:

• Tile cutter
• Tile spacers
• Thinset mortar adhesive - I used the premix
• Notched trowel
• Tape measure and level
• Pencil
• Rags or paper towels

Or you can get the all-in-one bucket if the trowel  and spacers are the right size for you. The size of the tile will determine the size of the notches on the trowel and spacers size. If you are unsure, the thinset has directions and a chart to help you pick the right trowel. My tile is a brick mosaic pattern on a mesh sheet so the spacing was already determined. 

The first step in tiling is to get the right amount of thinset mortar onto the wall. To do this, use the flat end of the trowel to spread some thinset around on a section of the wall, trying to maintain an even coat. Then place the notched side of the trowel at a 45 degree angle to the wall. Using a little bit of pressure, go back over the thinet to make ridges.

Once the thinset is on the wall, press the tile into the thinset making sure it is level and flush with any surrounding tile. Add spacers to make sure the neighboring tiles don't crowd each other. Now you can rock-and-roll up the wall, continuing the thinset, tile, spacer system.

If you notice extra thinset squeezing up between the tile, try using less thinset. The more grout lines (mosaic tile), the less thinset you will need to use. If you still notice the oozing thinset, clean it up as you go along with a paper towel or rag. Trust me, it is much easier to clean it before it dries. If you wait until it dries, you will have to use a grout cleaning tool to remove it from the grout lines before you can grout.

I also found out that it was much easier to cut the mosaic tile with a manual tile cutter instead of a tile saw. The tile cutter is really simple to use and dummy proof. To cut tiles, line up your cut line on the tile with the lines on the tile cutter. Press down on the handle and then move it forward and back a few times to make the little wheel score a line on the tile - listen for the screeching noise to know if the tile is being scored. Then apply a little pressure with the pad thingy to snap the tile cleanly in two. Easy.

After a few hours of work, I have tiled the new fireplace surround and added another project to my know-how list. I don't know why I was a little leery to begin with because with the right tools and a little research, tiling is easy! The fireplace is now ready for grout and then a new mantle. Oh, and don't worry about the uneven edges of the tile on the outside of the surround because the mantle will cover those.

If you are thinking of tiling your fireplace surround, I say go for it! It was not hard and now I can tell everyone - I did that!

Be sure to check the built-in demo post and the fireplace demo post to see the before pics.