Fireplace Built-In: Preparing For Stone
I wanted to share an update on the fireplace project, as I am approaching the final phase of laying the stone. This has been a long journey of planning, preparing, working, and adjusting as we go. I shared more about the building of the frame and narrowing in on the design decisions in two previous posts as well as in a video on our YouTube channel. The next step of the process involved getting the frame ready for stone.
We went with a stone veneer product that can be applied with a masonry adhesive. This should be a fairly DIY-able process, but I can’t deny that I am incredibly intimidated by it. Like every other phase of this project, I have been investing a lot of time in research to ensure that I am preparing in the best way possible. One part of those preparations is outfitting the frame with cement board. The cement board is more ideal to use rather than drywall, as it is way stronger and has a porous surface ideal for the masonry adhesive to really stick. I had never worked with cement board before this. It definitely involved a learning curve to use and was way less accurate than drywall, but it was doable.
The stone we ordered was on back order for a few weeks, so once I installed the cement board, I had some time to putter away at some of the smaller things that needed to be addressed before we could add the stone. A few of those things included:
priming and painting (the first coat of) the built-ins
building and installing the mantle
mounting 2x4’s for the TV mount to fasten to and drilling a hole for the power cord to feed through
Painting out the built-ins was very straightforward. Since the shelves were made up of a combination of IKEA Billy bookcases, plywood, and MDF, I used a shellac-based primer to seal everything in and create a consistent surface for the paint to stick to. The product I used was easy to use and inexpensive, but the fumes were a little strong. I ended up cracking a few windows, which helped with the smell and made the primer dry really quickly. Next, I added a first coat of the final paint colour. I decided to paint the units the same colour as our walls so that they would blend in. The main fireplace stone is definitely going to be the focal point, so I wanted the shelves to play more of a supporting role. Our walls (and now the shelves) are painted in a beautiful white tone called Falling Snow by Behr.
With the painting checked off my prep list, the next task was building and attaching the mantle. It is going to be much easier to stack the stone around the mantle than it would be to attach the mantle once the stone is installed, so this step was imperative. Before I could build it, I had to narrow in on exactly what I wanted it to look like and where I wanted it to sit. Because the stone will be more textural, I wanted the mantle design to be modern and simple. But should it be painted, stained, or built out? To help me decide, I created three different drawings to see how I could strike the right balance. It’s important to note that since our television will be mounted above, this mantle likely won’t have anything sitting on it, however, I do think the unit needs a mantle to help visually ground and connect the main fireplace portion of the build to the built-ins on either side.
I immediately felt drawn to one of the three designs - the simple painted option. The stained wood was beautiful, but it felt too rustic paired with the textural stone. The built-out mantle design was even more beautiful, but it felt like too much paired with the built-in shelves. The painted option felt like the perfect balance - present, but allowing the stone to shine. It’s own, but connected. Interesting, but subtle.
By deciding to paint the mantle, I was able to build it using scrap pieces of MDF that I had left over from the built-in units rather than buying and using a nice hardwood. I created a simple hollow box with the back side open so I could slide it over a piece of 2x4” mounted to the fireplace unit frame. I filled any cracks and nail holes with some wood filler and sanded them smooth. All I had to do was slide it over the mounted 2x4” and adhere it with some construction adhesive and brad nails. I’ll likely wait to paint it until the stone is installed, as there will be a chance that it may get a little messy in the installation process. I’m going to wait to pick the paint colour until then too, but it will likely be some sort of warm neutral greige tone.
The last thing to prepare for was the TV mount. I used some kraft paper to create templates of both the television and the mantle before installing either so that I could visualize exactly where they should sit. The stone veneer has a depth of 1.5-2”, so I needed to mount some 2x4s to the exterior of the fireplace frame. When we add the TV mount, we will attach it to those pieces of 2x4s (which will then be flush with the depth of the stone). Yes, it will mean that there are 2x4s amidst the surface of the stone, but I’m not concerned about it. I’m going to paint them to blend in and even if we decide to remove our television from the fireplace one day, I will still have some sort of art or mirror above the mantle that would cover them up. My biggest concern is safety, and this will be the safest way to ensure our television is securely mounted.
In terms of actually mounting the TV mount, I simply followed the instructions and template that came with it to determine where the 2x4s should sit.
And with all those small projects off the to-do list, next comes the stone. Here is a very small sneak peek from the day we picked it up from the supplier. I’m so excited to install it, but am also equally as nervous about getting this part right. This was by far the biggest financial investment in this entire project and I won’t deny that I’ve had many second thoughts about my choices in both colour and deciding to DIY. But if we don’t push ourselves, how do we expect to grow? Here’s to embracing the nerves and going for it anyways.
