Fireplace Remodel

Believe it or not, one of my favorite remodels was the quickest and easiest project I've done to date. It was also one of the first projects I did when I moved in - the fireplace. Here was the fireplace when we bought the house:

The fireplace when we bought the house.
The fireplace when we bought the house.

As you can see, the same faux pink marble from the entry was carried to the fireplace. I knew instantly what I wanted to do with it - black stone! And unlike most of my early projects, I am still happy with my decision. It was one of those projects that I didn't pinch every penny on, so I got exactly what I wanted. Check it out:

The black stone fireplace after.
The black stone fireplace after.
Black stone close-up
Black stone close-up

So let me tell you what I loved about using this tile: 1. It didn't need to be grouted. I just used a dark mortar, put it on and that's that. 2. The black stone was on a mesh mount and all I had to use to cut the end pieces to size was a nifty handheld tile nipper from Lowe's.

Kobalt tile nippers from Lowe's
Kobalt tile nippers from Lowe's

The cost? Admittedly, it was not the most price-effective option at almost $15/square foot, but it was worth every penny.I loved it four years ago, and I love it now. And with it being in the living room, it's something I look at every single day. But the real beauty of the project was how little time it took. From start to finish, the whole project took 3 hours - just proving that not every project has to be complex to make a statement.