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Bandus Home Decor CenterFireplaces and Accesories
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| How to Remodel a
Fireplace
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
- Home improvement
magazines
- Heat-resistant paint
- Your choice of brick or tiling
- Fireplace surround
- Industrial-strength adhesives
- Mortar
- Chisel
- Mason's hammer
- Power drill
Step 1: Browse
through home-improvement magazines to generate ideas on how you want
your new fireplace to look. Because it's essential for your fireplace
to match the overall design scheme of the room, you should also take
any planned interior renovations into account before you make a
decision.
Step 2: Choose between brick or marble for the facade
of your new fireplace. Brick has classic appeal, but marble has become
fashionable in recent years for its sleek, unique appearance. Marble is
also an excellent alternative for refurbishing a brick fireplace, since
you can simply lay the marble over the brick without having to knock
out the existing brickwork.
Step 3: Take accurate measurements from every
conceivable angle that you'll be dealing with as you remodel your
fireplace. Double check to ensure that your measurements are correct,
and make certain that you acquire the correct quantities of uniform
marble, tiles or bricks. Otherwise, you may have to substitute off
shades of marble, tile or brick in order to complete your project,
which will detract from the overall look of the finished product.
Step 4: Visit your local home-improvement store to
purchase the supplies you need. You'll find a wide variety of bricks,
tiling options and marble facades for fireplaces at most
home-improvement stores, as well as all the tools and supplies you'll
need for the job. You can also ask store associates for helpful tips
and tricks to use on the job.
Step 5: Start from the top, and work your way down if
you need to remove and replace old bricks. A mason's hammer or
power-drill set will be of enormous help to you if you need to
undertake this task as part of your fireplace remodeling. Chisel off
any leftover mortar once you're done to make the wall surface as flat
as possible before you overlay the new bricks.
Step 6: Reduce the mess--and your labor--by laying
new tile or marble right over top of old marble, tile or brick.
Anticipate the need to cut tile or marble to fit the required
dimensions. You may be able to have that done for you at the store
where you bought your supplies if you can supply them with accurate
measurements.
Step 7: Use special, heat-resistant paint if you want
to update the appearance of your gas fireplace's outer casing. This
will prevent blisters from forming on the casing the first time you
fire up the fireplace after applying new paint. Beware, though--some
heat-resistant paint can cause allergic reactions if its fumes are
inhaled or if it contacts the skin of sensitive individuals.
Step 8: Attach your new surround last, once you have
finished with all repainting and resurfacing.
Tips
& Warnings
- If you have the money in your budget, you can
simply purchase a custom fireplace. It's possible to get an attractive,
custom-built fireplace facade for under $1,000.
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