May 22, 2025: The fireplaces are finally done!

 

This is the story of the completion of a little project we started back in 2022; as you can see below, the two old fireplaces (and yes, we have two of them, back to back, one in the living room and one in the family room) were both covered in dark granite, which added to the crypt-like feeling of the house.  And, since the San Clemente winters can be severe (once in a while the temperature dips below 40F), of course we had to have two of them!  Anyway, so in the late summer - fall of 2022 we decided to get rid of the granite fireplaces, once and for all, and brighten up things!  

 

Fall 2022:  Old fireplace, living room.  The whole thing is covered in granite, and some really weird angles.  Dark, dark, dark…

Fall 2022:  Old fireplace, family room.  Again, the whole thing was covered in dark granite, with a giant granite slab going all the way to the ceiling.  By the way, don't be alarmed; this is NOT our furniture!   

 Fall 2022:  We started by removing the granite slabs from the family room fireplace, which was a crazy amount of work, just chipping away piece by piece with a hammer and a big screwdriver.  The slab on the wall must have been 300lbs!  

Fall 2022:  We started by removing the granite slab above the family room fireplace.

 Fall 2022:  We then proceeded to strip all of the granite off the family room fireplace down to the red brick, and replace the granite with a white stacked stone and we put marble slabs on the hearth.  Note that the white stacked stone comes in 4” by 12” sheets, so you don’t have to install each stone individually, but you need to cut them.  As always with our tile or stone designs, it is all Kathy’s vision and design; I man the tile saw, and mix the Thin-set mortar.  I must have made 500 cuts over two days of installation.       

 

Fall 2022:  This is what the family room fireplace looks like after we put the stacked stone on the brick, and the new wood mantlepiece was installed.  As usual, Kathy did all the drywall repairs, retexturing and painting.     

Fall 2022:  Now, the living room fireplace was a different story; we started by removing all the granite, down to the red brick, and I had to remove the old glass doors:

 

Fall 2022:  Removing all the old granite off the red brick, and removing the glass doors.  

Fall 2022:  Partial demolition of the living room fireplace, using a large screwdriver and a hammer.  Messy and heavy…  We must have removed half a ton of granite…  

Fall 2022:  Living room fireplace, full demolition.  

Fall 2022:  After the demolition of the living room fireplace was completed, we started to rebuild the fireplace to our liking.  We wanted the right side to match the left side, so we used the old bricks and essentially rebuild the whole thing, minus the weird angles.  We never did masonry before, but there is a first for everything!  We used cinder blocks to hold our masonry work on the right while the mortar cured.    

 

Fall 2022:  Rebuilding the old fireplace using the old brick that we cleaned up.  Waste not, want not!  Messy, messy, messy…

Fall 2022:  After the fireplace was rebuilt, we covered it in Thin-set mortar, so that we had a somewhat smooth surface for the white stacked stone.

Fall 2022:  The reconfigured living room fireplace covered in Thin-set mortar, ready for the stacked stone to be installed. 

Fall 2022:  We used the same white stacked stone in the living room that we used in the family room.  And as usual, Kathy is the tile boss, and I man the tile cutter.  Lots of work, took about two days to install.    

 

Fall 2022:  Installing the stacked stone on the living room fireplace.  I made a brace from 4"x4"s to hold the stone in place while the Thin-set cured.    

Fast forward to Sunday, May 18, 2025:  Since we didn’t have the new floor installed back in 2022, we left the bottom of the two fireplace hearths unfinished.  Fast forward about 2.5 years, and the new floor has been installed, and there is no excuse for not finishing off the fireplaces!  It starts by bringing out the “Tile Cutting Machine”, and get the lay of the land.  Since the tile cutter had been sitting since the fall of 2022, the blade axle was pretty much frozen in the motor, but with some lubrication and elbow grease, I got the old thing unstuck and working again.  As always, Kathy is the brains, and I’m the brawn…  She decides what to cut, and I cut along the line…  She also does all the installation, and I do the running!  

 

Sunday, May 18, 2025:   Ye old “Tile Cutting Machine” which I bought new back in 2001 (I think), for $100.  Some 20 years later, and I’m still using it!  Between all our remodeling and tile work, I must have cut a thousand tiles!    

Sunday, May 18, 2025:  The tile saw in action, cutting marble slabs for the bottom of the hearths.  For most of my remodeling in San Clemente, I use the truck tailgate as an improvised work bench.    

  

Sunday, May 18, 2025:  Dressed for action; since the inexpensive “Tile Cutting Machine” relies on a water bath for lubrication and cooling of the blade, it sprays all over.  So, in order to not get soaked to the skin, I dress myself in a couple of trash bags.  What a great look!  And yes, I am a bit cheap…  

  

Sunday, May 18, 2025:  The family room fireplace hearth bottoms have been installed, complete with the decorative border stone pencils.  It still needs grout.  

Sunday, May 18, 2025:  The living room fireplace hearth bottoms have been installed, complete with the decorative stone border pencils.  It still needs grout.   

Thursday, May 22, 2025:  Kathy finished grouting today, which means that this “little” project is finally done!  We both love it, and it is soooo much lighter!  I never thought we would finish this one, since it took us 2.5 years to complete, but now we are finally finished!    

Thursday, May 22, 2025:  The family room fireplace is grouted and completed!  Only took 2.5 years to completion!  

  

Thursday, May 22, 2025:  The living room fireplace is done!  

Thursday, May 22, 2025:  The living room fireplace is done!  Whooo Hooo!