DIY Network

Fireplace: Demolition and Veneer Preparation From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-101

Before refacing the fireplace can begin, the existing hearth must be removed. Also, the fireplace must have a rough, porous surface for the veneer to bond to.

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	The dining room fireplace before Derek and Dean...
	and the fireplace after.

Materials:

Measuring tape
Pencil
Paper
Broom or hand brush
Heavy-duty trash bags/buckets
Drop cloth
Chisel
Chipping hammer
Stone hammer
Wood chisels
Grinder
Mask
High heat black stove paint
Trowel
1 clean 5-gallon bucket
1 (80 lb.) bag of thinset
Clean water
Veneer stone
Rubber mallet
Levels: 2 ft., 4 ft. and bullet
4 wood 2 x 4s
4 cement blocks
Hammer
Finish nails
Clean sponge
Safety Gear: Goggles and mask

Demolition and Veneer Preparation

1. Begin by cleaning out your fireboxes using a broom and hand brush or shop vacuum and trash bags (figure A). Protect the floor around your hearth with a drop cloth or tarp (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

2. After the fireboxes are cleaned, demolish the existing tile hearth. Using your chisel, stone hammer or chipping hammer, and safety glasses; break an inside grouted joint of one of your tiles (figure C). Don’t begin with a joint directly against the wood; your chipping hammer could damage your wood.

3. Break your first tile with your chipping or stone hammer and chisel out the pieces. Once the first tile is up, surrounding tiles should pop easily by applying pressure with the chisel and hammer to the underside of the tiles (figure D).

Figure C

Figure D

4. Be careful when demolishing tile or masonry around wood. Break up the tile or masonry and then gently pull out the pieces to avoid damaging the wood.

5. Do not break up tile beyond the face of your fireplace, where your hearth stone will fit.

6. After demolishing your hearth, move on to your legs and header. Thinset and veneer will not adhere to smooth tile or painted surfaces, so create a rougher, porous surface for the thinset to bond to. Dean and Derek remove the paint on the brick legs and header with a grinder with a diamond blade (figure E).

Safety Alert: Be sure to wear a mask and safety glasses when scraping off paint to protect eyes and lungs from paint chips.

7. If you are unable to remove your hearth in one piece, remove any trim that might make setting your hearth difficult (figure F). Dean and Derek use sharp wood chisels and chipping hammers to remove the trim without splitting it.

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

8. Clean up the hearth to get rid of any dust in the firebox and then paint the firebox black with high heat black stove paint (figure G). This will make a sooty firebox uniform in color and bring focus to the stone after it is set. Open your damper and use a mask when spraying your firebox.

RESOURCES :

Stone Fabricator
Olympia Marble & Granite, Inc.
Website: www.olympiamarble.com