So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I understand it is feasible to tile over the brick. However,
my gut feel suggests it would be better to remove the bricks
first, install a new cementboard backer, and tile over that.

I would maybe add a ready made (wood) shelf mantel.

Any thoughts on those approaches? Other suggestions welcome.

I'm also a little nervous about running into a whole slew
of (expensive) code issues (I'm in CA). Is that likely to
derail the whole project?

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Malcolm Hoar" wrote in message
...

So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I understand it is feasible to tile over the brick. However,
my gut feel suggests it would be better to remove the bricks
first, install a new cementboard backer, and tile over that.

You can paint brick. Why not try that first in case
it meets your needs?

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

In article ,
(Malcolm Hoar) wrote:

So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I understand it is feasible to tile over the brick. However,
my gut feel suggests it would be better to remove the bricks
first, install a new cementboard backer, and tile over that.

I would maybe add a ready made (wood) shelf mantel.

Any thoughts on those approaches? Other suggestions welcome.


Paint is very common. Hard to get an cheaper and easier than that.

In article , "Don Phillipson" wrote:

You can paint brick. Why not try that first in case
it meets your needs?

Yeah although I think it will look a bit naff. Kinda like,
ummmm, painted brick ;-)

Also, I'm concerned that the paint may rule out the option
of tiling directly OVER the brick. And screwing a
cementboard backer to the brick and tiling over that
starts to make the whole struture disproportionately
large.

I haven't totally ruled it out but was interested in
exploring something a little better. A natural stone
tile seemed like a viable approach that wouldn't bust
the bank.


--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In article , Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
(Malcolm Hoar) wrote:

So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I understand it is feasible to tile over the brick. However,
my gut feel suggests it would be better to remove the bricks
first, install a new cementboard backer, and tile over that.

I would maybe add a ready made (wood) shelf mantel.

Any thoughts on those approaches? Other suggestions welcome.


Paint is very common. Hard to get an cheaper and easier than that.

True enough -- but hard to get any uglier than painted brick, either.

On Jan 21, 10:57*am, (Malcolm Hoar) wrote:
So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I understand it is feasible to tile over the brick. However,
my gut feel suggests it would be better to remove the bricks
first, install a new cementboard backer, and tile over that.

I would maybe add a ready made (wood) shelf mantel.

Any thoughts on those approaches? Other suggestions welcome.

I'm also a little nervous about running into a whole slew
of (expensive) code issues (I'm in CA). Is that likely to
derail the whole project?

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar * * * * * "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Gary Player. |
|http://www.malch.com/* * * * * * * Shpx gur PQN. * * * * * * * *|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looks like a good candidate for tiling. I have seen some beautiful
fireplaces done in regular ceramic tile - nice handpainted tiles, or
patterns in the tile, etc. Not sure why you would want backerboard
unless you are worried about an uneven surface. -- H

In article , Heathcliff wrote:

Looks like a good candidate for tiling. I have seen some beautiful
fireplaces done in regular ceramic tile - nice handpainted tiles, or
patterns in the tile, etc.

Yes, although my preference would be for natural stone. Slab
would be great but the cost is prohibitive. But I've seen
some natural stone tiles that a reasonably priced.

Not sure why you would want backerboard unless you are worried
about an uneven surface.

Yes, the brickwork doesn't look that even to me. Also, on
the vertical surfaces, it would assure sound adhesion. I
think it's possible the bricks were at some point wiped
with linseed oil or some other color enhancement treatment.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Malcolm Hoar" wrote

So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I would maybe add a ready made (wood) shelf mantel.

I'd get a mantle with sides down to the floor (looks like you have about 4
inches there?). This would be flush to the sides but not over the brick
(check code, your sides are quite minimal as it is).

Then probably tile the bottom part where the base extends, since that's the
main 'bad' there. Also, the base isnt very high. Not sure on code specs
where you are but I've not seen any that low here.

I wouldnt paint it if you plan to ever use it.

On Jan 21, 11:57*am, (Malcolm Hoar) wrote:
So, I have an ugly brick fireplace that I'd like to "enhance":

http://www.malch.com/nikon/DSD_2769.jpg

Sadly, the budget is very limited. So, I'm thinking in terms
of a granite (or similar) tile.

I understand it is feasible to tile over the brick. However,
my gut feel suggests it would be better to remove the bricks
first, install a new cementboard backer, and tile over that.

I would maybe add a ready made (wood) shelf mantel.

Any thoughts on those approaches? Other suggestions welcome.

I'm also a little nervous about running into a whole slew
of (expensive) code issues (I'm in CA). Is that likely to
derail the whole project?

It's not very attractive as is, but I think a lot of the problem is
that the paint around it is just too light. The contrast is too
great.

I'd pick out one of the lighter colors from the brick (I can see
terra cotta and perhaps peach) and paint at least the wall
behind the fireplace. You're definitely on the right track
with the color of the accessories on top.

A mantel would be nice; the fireplace looks a bit like a face with
no eyebrows.

As other posters have said, painted brick looks terrible. I wouldn't
go that way.

If you're determined to have a completely new look, then go ahead and
reface it or replace it. However, if that doesn't work out (time,
finances,
code, etc.), you always have the cheap and easy option to try a
different
color on the wall behind it.

Cindy Hamilton

In article , "cshenk" wrote:

Then probably tile the bottom part where the base extends, since that's the
main 'bad' there. Also, the base isnt very high. Not sure on code specs
where you are but I've not seen any that low here.

Interesting, thank you. I think maybe I'll call one of
the inspectors at City Hall before I go much further.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~