Fireplace Makeover #2 It's Finally Finished

I FINALLY finished the fireplace.  This is the second part of the fireplace makeover.  To see the tile removal and drywall repair click here.  This was part of a larger project, my family room makeover.

Here is the Before.

No mantle and the builder put the floor tile around the fireplace.  See how the larger tile at the top makes the fireplace look like it's falling forward?  I've never liked my fireplace.  I painted the picture above it when we first moved in ten years ago to draw the eye away from the black hole below.

Here is the After.

 I removed the old tile, repaired the drywall, painted the walls and the concrete floor, made a new mantle, and added a new tile surround.



My dad was the Foreman on the mantle making part of the project.  I'm lucky to have my parents live about ten minutes from my house.  My dad has all the cool tools, saws, and expertise for woodworking like this. 

We started with the table saw.  We used this to make the MDF boxes for the mantle and legs.

We used this 12" compound miter saw to cut the molding.  I made the cuts, but there is no way I could have figured this out without my dad showing me what to do.  I just haven't done it enough yet, but I'm learning.

I glued all the joints with wood glue.

I used a staple gun to make the boxes and attach the molding.  More cool dad tools.

My mom brought us lunch.  Cutting wood makes me hungry. Yum! 

Thanks Mom.

We made these guide boxes to cut the big molding.  It makes cutting the angles much easier.  Make them the width of your largest piece of molding.

Here is the box with the the first piece of molding attached.

We attached the horizontal mantle to a 2x4 attached to the wall.  I diagrammed where the studs were when I was repairing the drywall.  This made it easier to secure the 2x4 soundly to the wall.

The 2x4 was a hair too long and I had to hammer the left side of the mantle down on to get it level.  The fit was a little too snug, but I fixed it.  Here it is before leveling.

Next we added the legs.  I used liquid nails to secure the legs to the wall.



Here is a detailed picture of the molding I used to create the mantle.  It's hard to see where the molding begins and ends once it's painted out.  It looks like all one piece.  This was a work in progress.  I didn't add the last the bottom piece of chair rail until after the mantle and legs were attached to the wall. 

All these moldings were under $2 a foot so everything was very economical.  They were all purchased at Home Depot. 

Once the mantle was attached I filled all the staple gun holes with wood filler and sanded it smooth.  I had to repeat this step several times to get the flawless finish I wanted. 

I wish this technique worked on my wrinkles.

I added some skinny picture rail molding to the legs.  I just glued it on with Liquid Nails.  Then I primed it with Zinnser water base primer.

I painted it with two coats of Frazee, White Shadow.  All the trim, doors, molding, and base boards in my house are painted this color.

Close up of the molding detail.

On to tile.  I borrowed a wet tile saw from my cousin Margaret's husband Andy.  He's an amazing contractor.  To see some of his work click here. 

 

I was a little intimidated to use one of these.  BUT IT IS SO EASY!  Really,  it's easier than operating a sewing machine.  My daughter Casey took to it right away and wanted to help.  Wear ear protection, it's very loud. 

I set it up in the SCARY, MESSY garage.  We don't have basements in San Diego.  Basements don't hold up to well in earthquakes.  We have earthquakes. 

 

Here's the first cut.

It took me a Sunday afternoon to complete the tiling.  Just apply Thin Set to the wall with a notched trowel and set the cut tile.  

I haven't been in a tile store in a while.  It's pretty incredible the choices and options out there.  I chose a natural stone mosaic rhomboid tile because it's timeless, classic, neutral, in-stock, and under $10 a square foot.  The lady that helped me at Encinita's Tile gave me the contractors discount for being nice.  Well I am the contractor at this job site.  I guess some of the people that she works with are not nice?  I don't know, but it made my day!

Here's where I started.

Here it is ready to grout. 

I used sanded grout and the color I used was Haystack.  Mix it with water and follow the box directions.

Use a rubber trowel to grout and mush it between the tiles.

Wear gloves, it's messy, but fun.

Sponge off all the excess grout.  Rinse and squeeze out your sponge often.  Change your bucket water often.  Make sure your sponge isn't to wet.  You don't want to clean your new grout out from between the tiles.

After two hours wipe your tile down again to remove any grout residue

I added a small quarter round piece of molding to the inside edge of the mantle.  The tile grout wasn't as clean as I wanted it to look on the edges.  I painted the molding to coordinate with the tile with the same paint I used to create the concrete floor stripes.

I still need to seal the grout.  I also need to figure out how to decorate a mantel?  I haven't had a mantle in my house since I lived with my parents back in 1989. 

I'll wait to build a fire until after I seal the tile or the smoke might stain the grout.

I'll put candles in it for the summer.

Thanks for checking it out.

How To Make A Metal Hanging Light

I saw a hanging light similar to this one (without the postcards) in a boutique that cost about $300.

$300 for a lamp that doesn't even come with a lamp shade is crazy talk to me, but I liked it and I wanted one.

I figured I could make one for much less. I love trying to use stuff I already have.

It makes me feel like MacGyver, but I don't have a mullet.

I made this light from things I already had laying around my house.
Sometimes being a "collector"(hoarder) is a good thing.

Here's my version.

I started with one of these from Ikea and I think it was under $5? It was sitting in the garage filled with to much "crapolla."

You also need two of these metal hanging basket planters. They were sitting on my potting bench unused at the moment. I purchased them a few years back at Big Lots. I think they were around $6 or $7 each? See the clips used to connect the hanging chains to the basket? You will need these later. Take off the chains and save the the clips.

Take some stiff cardboard and trace two circles a little bigger then the hole in the bottom of the planter. I used a piece of Tupperware to make my circles. The cardboard is from the back of a pad of paper.

Trace two circles.

Cut them out and trace another circle the diameter of the head of the light fixture.

Cut out the inside circle.

You should have two of these.

At this point you can paint your circles black.

I painted them in a later step, but if I made one of these lights again I would paint them at this point.

Unscrew the black ring on the light fixture (see it laying on the table?) Take one circle and screw it on the end of the light fixture. It should be a snug fit.

Hold the light fixture and the cardboard circle up to the underside of the basket. This will become the top or your light.

Turn over the light fixture and the basket and it should look like this.

Screw on the second piece of cardboard.

Screw the ring back on over the second cardboard circle.

It should look like this. The hole in the bottom of the basket should be sandwiched in between the two pieces of cardboard. The screwed on ring and two pieces of cardboard hold the light fixture and basket together.

A cardboard basket sandwich.

At this point I spray painted the cardboard. Then I took the second basket and clipped the top and bottom baskets together. When I used just one basket my light looked incomplete and too small so I grabbed a second basket to complete the orb. I used the chain clips to connect the two baskets together.

I didn't like the the bare white cord.

I used some burlap to sew a cord cover.


I hung it over my desk in the family room from an antique pulley.

I had this bulb, so until it burns out this is what I'm using. I put it on a dimmer because a bare bulb can look a little harsh. The dimmer allows me to create a soft glow.

I think a filament bulb would look better. Here is one from Pottery Barn. They are $9 and not very green (energy hogs), but they look cool.

This project was free because I used stuff I already had, but even if you go out and buy the supplies to make this it would only be around $20. If I get tired of it I can reuse the baskets in the garden.

Thanks for checking it out.