What a great fireplace! I wouldn't touch except to clean it all well and give the wood a good coat of paste wax.

that is a fabulous fireplace!! i am quite envious!! i agree with disfromage, clean the bricks and preserve the wood with wax or toluene-free briwax in clear, not a color.

All of the fireplace is beautiful and if you/your husband are worried about the surround, you can have it re-grouted. Please don't do anything other than restore it. It is gorgeous.

You have a beautiful craftsman fireplace! Research! If you would like to change the brick,think tile. Pewabic tile in Detroit has beautiful tile with glazes from the craftsman period. I would do that in a minute. I have always loved their tiles They will also custom make tiles to order. It would give you the change but honor the style and history.

Do not do anything, this is the way houses used to be built not now :0( this is why this site is so great!

Motawi Tile has some great looks also.

I would go to a higher end tile store and look at Pratt and Larson craftsman tiles. This is a craftsman fireplace and it's the centerpiece of the room. you may have to pay $500-$1000 for a really high quality tile installed but it will add 3 times the value to the fireplace.As Al Fortunato said below, the other alternative would be to have the brick restored by a professional. I wish I could afford to have that fireplace replicated.

Love it!! Please don't change it. Just restore it.

Wonderful Craftsman fireplace. Very unique design. Don't do anything, find a pro to clean the brick and save its history. Also if the wood needs restoration, don't just slop on big box store miracle cures. Do it right or get a pro for this too.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Al Fortunato, where do I start to find a good professional that could restore the brick? Also the wood was refinished. I am just not sure if it has a poly coat or anything protecting the stain.

Also do you all like the fireplace with or without these doors? The hinge needs repaired on one.

luv2live, do a pro search on Houzz for brick restoration for your local area. If nothing comes up search Google for brick restoration. Also talk to some masons in your area, they should be familiar with who is good at it. I'm not a mason or brick restoration expert, but I do know there is a correct way and many incorrect ways. Stay away from home remedies and/or big box store quick fixes, you could get yourself in big trouble.

Are the doors originally from the fire place? The way they are made, they seem to be doors that would be hinged from the top or bottom. The frame construction and graining are wrong for side mounted doors.

As far as the wood goes, if there is any sheen at all, it mostly likely is coming from some kind of top coat, done correctly, stain will not have any sheen to it. Something like this should have been done in the period appropriate finish. But most have not been done correctly by unknowing contractors or homeowners.

Al Fortunato, can you give me some advice on how I can repair this trim without having to re-stain the whole door, etc? There are places where the trim looks great and places where it looks not so great. I am concerned how complex it would be to match the stain. Thanks!

Love it!

From your pictures my guess is that it was finished with shellac and nothing else. As long as someone hasn't slopped poly over it you should be able to restore it. Test to see if it is shellac by soaking a rag with alcohol and putting it on a spot. If it softens good chance it is shellac. With more alcohol and rubbing you should be able to re-amalgamate the shellac and blend it over the worn/damaged areas. The trim is probably dirty so keep using clean rags. I like to use t-shirt material. Once all clean and blended, sand lightly. Don't remove too much finish, especially down to the wood. Once sanded, wipe down with damp rags to remove all the dust. Do this at least twice. Now, a new fresh coat of shellac is ready to go on. Shellac dries quickly, you get one chance, put it on and leave it alone, no brushing out. It will take some practice. Shellac comes in many shades, so don't just go to a junk-in-the-box store and buy what is on the shelf. Search for shellac flakes and pick your shade. Follow the directions for dissolving with alcohol. I would suggest a very light shade so it doesn't alter your current color very much. Super Blond maybe.

I think it's beautiful