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Fireplace Facelift Dean and Derek transform a fireplace with natural stone and a bluestone hearth. Check out more of Dean and Derek's Rock Solid home improvement projects.

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	Figure D
	Figure E

Staining The Wood Mantle

Dean and Derek are using untreated wood so before they stain the wood they rub on a wood conditioner so the stain can be applied evenly. Allow a short time for the conditioner to dry then apply the stain color of your choice. Be sure your working area is well ventilated.

Tip: Wood stain takes approximately 8 hours to dry.

Chipping And Setting Stones

• As you fill in the middle of the stonework, you can spend a lot of time looking for the right stone. Make sure you don't have continuous joints, which are straight lines. Sometimes your stones need to be slightly reshaped for a better fit, to do this, use your chipping hammer to correct the edge.

• Don't use a big stone to try and fill a small gap between your stones. Use the chipped pieces that you have cut. This will save you time and maintain the custom appearance you want (figures D and E).

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Figure F

Jointing

• If you've been using a sufficient amount of mortar behind your stones when you placed them (figure F), the mortar has made its way into your joints. This is actually a time saver; use your trowel to remove excess mortar from the face of your stones.

• Make sure that you fill all of these joints with your mortar.

• Use a thin jointer to pack mortar into joints that have not been filled then brush off the surface.

• There will be gaps between the corner stones and the wall. Fill those spaces with thin strips of stone and repeat the jointing process.

• Allow time for stonework to dry.
  
  
• Tip: If you have mortar left over you can use it to fill your hearth, establishing a solid base to set your hearthstone on when you are ready.

Painting Firebox

Clean out the rubble and brush away any dust and dirt that has collected in your firebox. Use high-heat resistant paint, which can be purchased as a spray paint or in a traditional can and brushed on. Painting the firebox black provides contrast and helps accentuate the lighter stone.

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