Fireplace Mantel Bargain and Tile Hearth and Surround

In need of a mantel for our family room/play room I started searching the internet for inspiration. My original plan was to find a picture and take it to a cabinet maker to replicate. Instead I found The Mantel Shoppe and noticed they were having a 'clearance sale'.... two days later I was driving down I-65 toward Trussville, AL in a rented pickup truck. Not only was the trip a success, it was a pleasure meeting the owner and his staff; they were the nicest folks. I'm all about buying American made products and especially from a family owned and operated business.
So what did I buy??? This is a pic of the Williamsport from The Mantel Shoppe's website. My new mantel didn't look so pretty! I bought one of the showroom displays that had been horribly disfigured with a really bad faux marble paint finish. But the bargain hunter in me couldn't resist., they marked her down 60%! I saw a diamond in the rough and knew there wasn't anything a little paint and caulk wouldn't fix. I felt it was missing something, so after a little coaxing they gave me a wood carving to place in the center. Within minutes my new mantel was loaded up and we were on our way to Nashville.

Here's the blank canvas I was working with...... I built up a 4" hearth out of 2x4s and plywood. The 2x4s framing the box are to attach the mantel. I didn't want to spend a lot on tile, so I selected a simple 6x6 porcelain tile for $4.25 per sf for the hearth and a stone harlequin pattern with a black dot for the surround which ran around $18 per sf.

After layout, I started the tile on the hearth. For straight cuts where the edge is covered I used my 20" Brutus tile cutter. It's handy and I can keep next to my work area.

For years I mixed my own thinset and it was the part of tile installation I disliked the most. I now use premixed thinset. It is more expensive, but the time it saves mixing and with cleanup makes it worth it.

When working on walls and with small pieces I like to butter each piece of tile. I know the 'pros' can slap on a huge area of thinset and throw down several pieces at a time, but I find it messy and I enjoy doing each piece one at a time.

I set the tile directly on the plywood and did not use backer board or underlayment. This is suitable for a small area like a raised hearth as it will not be walked on and there will not be as much expansion or contraction. I used bullnose pieces around the top perimeter of the hearth. They give the top edge a nice finished look and they are not as sharp as cut edges. For more detailed cuts or for a nicer edge I use a wet saw. I bought this saw over ten years ago and it has been a lifesaver. Like many projects...it's all about the tools....
After the hearth was tiled, I trimmed the fireplace box with carbonized black Schluter trim. This gave the surround tile a nice finished edge Once the surround tile was set and dry, I sealed the stone before grouting. The Stone Enhancer and Sealer not only protects and seals the stone, but enriches the color giving it a wet look. Doing this step before grouting not only protects the porous stone from abrasive grout and possibly altering the color, it also helps clean up after grout. Ready to grout...

For me, I like to work with no more than .25% of a bag of grout at a time. I do not work fast enough to use up the grout before it dries out when working with a bigger batch. I like to clean as I go; it takes longer, but eliminates the extra work cleaning dried grout off of the tile...which is not fun!!! I buy $1 bowls from DG to mix the grout in. They are clean and easy to work with. I always have two 'grout' sponges in a clean bucket of water before starting.

Once the grout was dry I caulked the joints between the surround and hearth and between the Schluter and tile on the surround using grout matching caulk. Next up....the newly painted mantel was set in place.
I used a finish nailer to attach the carved wood scroll piece to the blank square.

The base trim needs to be cut down to accommodate the new mantel and nailed back on the wall. I am very happy with the way it turned out and very anxious to decorate it. I have not decided what to hang above the mantel. All suggestions are much appreciated!!!

Thank you Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for hostessing Today's Thrifty Treasures and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hostessing Metamorphisis Monday!

Have a great week!

Nola