I am a new homeowner and totally renovating my first home. From scraping the ceilings, ripping out flooring, all new interior paint, etc. One of the last major projects is the fireplace. I hate it. It has potential to be beautiful, but I am not a fan of the red dated brick. My plan was to cover it with split stone, until I realized how expensive it was. I'm having Thanksgiving / house warming at my house in less than a month and need to get this tackled ...

Before I laid the flooring, I ripped out the hearth not realizing that it was code to have one ... So I guess I get to put one back in! I do have hardwood put in now ... It's a walnut color (for design and color scheme purposes).

Any budget friendly ideas on what to do with this dilemma?