Down with the Fireplace!

I love having a fireplace in my home. It is so cozy and gives me a sense of slowing down and prioritizing what is most important. When we were looking to purchase this home, I was living in Utah while my husband was living and working in Idaho. I would look online for homes that would come up for sale and then my hubby would go look at them. The first time I saw this home was through a FaceTime tour. It was maybe a little better than still photos but not by much. We purchased our home without my seeing it in real life. Crazy, I know! I had seen the picture of the fireplace and it was clearly outdated and lacking in any sort of beauty appeal. When I saw it in real life, I cringed.

It was made of dark greenish, grey flagstone that stuck out in sharp jagged protrusions. My son was super excited about it exclaiming, "Look mom, I can rock climb the fireplace!" It was an invitation for disaster and I could just see warning signs written all over it.

A few months later, it happened. There was the smacking sound, the crying and the gash. Right through the eyebrow. To the doctor we went and came home with seven stitches. Okay, the battle was on. This fireplace was coming down. Well, not the whole thing because I like fireplaces, so maybe I could work some sort of magic and transform it.

Note: I decided not to give details on how I did everything in order to simplify. I mostly wanted to inspire you to see what is possible if you simply use your imagination and a little grit.

Phase 1: Chop off all the protruding shelves and rough edges.

Phase 2: Whitewash stone surrounding fireplace insert and on hearth. Phase 3: Make grid with 1x2's and frame around the fireplace (sorry I forgot to take a picture of this but you can kind of see the grid pieces sticking out near the ceiling).

Phase 4: Go rummage in the barn until you find a lovely, old beam. Remove protruding, rusty nails. Sand, sand, sand. Coat with clear polyurethane, smile and give yourself a pat on the back for just saving yourself $800.

Phase 5: Create pillars for either side of the fireplace using 2x6's.

Phase 6: Cut planks out of sub-flooring plywood and secure to the grid frame.

Phase 7: Trim everything with MDF boards using a brad nail gun.

Phase 8: Fill all the nail holes with putty. Sand, prime and paint.

Phase 9: Decorate your long awaited mantle and enjoy the simple pleasure that comes from a job well earned!

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The before...

...AFTER!