DIY Network

Fireplace: Stone Installation From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-101

The fireplaces are moving out of the 80s. The tile hearths are gone, Derek and Dean removed the ugly paint from the legs and header and the fireboxes were sprayed black. Now, it's time to set the stone!

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	The living room fireplace needed help...
	and help it got!

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

	Figure A
	Figure B

Mixing Thinset

1. Cut your bag of thinset in half using your trowel. Set both halves on their ends and then squeeze both sides so the halves don’t tip over (figure A). Add a little bit of clean water to the bottom of a five-gallon bucket to prevent the bottom of the bucket from becoming dry with material.

Safety Alert: Use a mask to prevent inhaling dust.

2. Add your thinset. Half a bag will be enough for the hearth, legs, and header of one fireplace. If you are setting two fireplaces, mix the entire bag. Add water and mix with a trowel or electric mixer until there are no lumps and the mixture has a consistency of toothpaste (figure B).

3. Set aside for fifteen minutes, then remix.

4. The thinset is ready to be used on the project and can be worked with for up to eight hours. Do not add water to loosen mixture once it is already mixed; this will weaken the bond of the thinset.

Installing Granite Veneer

1. Set your hearth stone first. Place your hearth stone on two two-by-fours to make it easier to move into place once you apply your thinset. The hearth stone is the largest and heaviest stone, as well as being the stone most likely to break. Handle it very carefully. Apply a thin layer of thinset using your hand trowel to your prepped hearth base (figure C).

2. Using two people, raise the granite and set it into place (figure D). If the hearth will be recessed into the floor, set the back edge in, remove your fingers, and then use a hand trowel placed against the front edge to lower the hearth into place.

Figure C

Figure D

3. Tap the hearth stone gently with a rubber mallet to remove air bubbles and ensure that the stone adheres to the thinset (figure E).

4. Check for level, front to back and side to side (figure F).

5. Set your legs next. Begin by cutting four two-by-fours to act as braces for your legs and headers. You will use one brace for each leg and two for the header stone. Cut the edges of the wood at 45-degree angles. The braces for the legs should be cut so they support the set stone about two-thirds of the way up.

Figure E

Figure F

6. Apply three large dollops of thinset to the back or saw-cut side of the leg piece (figure G). You can also apply the thinset in a thin layer. Set the first leg into place, making sure that the polished edge is exposed (figure H).

Figure G

Figure H

7. Gently adjust the piece until it is plumb (vertically level) and level (figure I). Brace the leg with your precut brace and a cement block (figure J). Repeat this process on the second leg.

Figure I

Figure J

8. Run your four foot level across the top of the two legs to make sure the distance in between is level.

9. Place four large dollops (or one thin layer) of thinset on the back sawcut edge of the header. Make sure that the polished edge is facing down. Set the stone using a medium amount of pressure to ensure that it adheres to the thinset (figure K).

10. Check for plumb and level. Brace the header using two precut two-by-fours (figure L).

Figure K

Figure L

RESOURCES :

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