I would LOVE to know more detail about exactly how you cast the fireplace & what materials were used, if you wouldn't mind? I have a red brick fireplace that I want to change & this technique seems perfect. The end result is amazing! Thank you :)

We drilled rebar into the existing brick and attached horizontal and vertical bars to them to create a grid of reinforcing. We set that at 2" off the existing brick. Then we pre-cut panels of melamine to use as the formwork at around 24" tall by 8 feet or wherever we wanted the joint line. Then starting from the bottom we would install a panel and fill it with concrete stopping just short of the top. Then install another panel and repeat until we had a 4" strip left at the top to fill the last panel. We filled this strip after removing the panels. TO install hte panels we used cleats attached to the surrounding surfaces and screws into the brick with small tubes as spacers (we actually used gutter nail tubing for this). One tricky part is packing the concrete but not vibrating too much so you get some of the air pockets left in it to give it more character. Of course, you can't see whether you have done too much or too little until after the form is taken off. So you just have to guess at it. Let me know if you would like more information on this.

Thanks so much. That's really helpful :)

Can you tell me more about the floor? I would like to add something like this to my basement. What color is it and how did you do it? Beautiful!

On this particular floor, because it was fairly old, we actually added a tint to the sealer to make it appear darker rather than using a concrete stain beforehand. We basically applied multiple coats to achieve the desired final color.

I should have read you before I let a restorer touching my concrete floor. Could you give more technical details on how you achieved this result? Unfortunately I live in Belgium and the quality of the companies working here is disastrous. And worst I cannot hire you! Thanks

what is the blue pain color on the wall next to the stairs? thanks

I'm an able retiree on a fixed income. Love the floor. What color tint did you use? Did you seal it with polyurethane? Any hints about application i.e. like don't use a mop or you'll end up with fiber particles. Thanks in adv. for your help.

how high did you make the hearth?

We formed and poured a concrete veneer wall over the existing brick fireplace. I have some details listed above on a previous comment. Feel free to contact me for more info