Software
Houzz Logo Print
kendravicknair

Ideas for a budget hearth/fireplace surround

last month

I need some ideas for a low-cost option for a fireplace surround. We wanted floor to ceiling aged brick, but that isn't in the budget right now. We would like to keep the option of doing a thin brick veneer in the future, but we need to decide how to finish the fireplace for now. It is a wood burning fireplace, so it needs to be fire-safe. It will have a raised hearth. We already have a reclaimed barnwood mantle. We want to stick with warm neutral earth tones. I'd appreciate any pictures/thoughts/ideas you can offer.

Comments (15)

  • last month

    It would help if you could offer pictures of the space and even examples of what you like. Are you making a new fireplace or updating an existing one? Is this wood, electric, gas?

  • last month

    Following. I need to make this decision, too.

  • last month

    It is an in-depth remodel, closer to a new build. It's a wood-burning fireplace. We're in the framing stage, so this is the best picture I have of the space.


  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    It is hard to really advise with so little info Are you more traditionl in your style ? Could be my paranoia but some of that wood seems really close to thta firebox As for an isea why not something really simple like this that you can remove easily to do dhte brick you want down the road just run the tile right up the wall in any color and type of large format tile


  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    With wood burning, clearance to combustibles becomes very important. Brick (not thin brick) is one of the absolute cheapest options to cover it, and the whole needs to be cement board, etc.

  • last month

    Here are a few pics I like. They're all shiplap, which is probably not in the budget. Everything above the mantle will likely need to be drywall.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Hard to offer suggestions since it’s not clear what style the home is - i’d be tempted to go uber simple with a honed absolute black granite surround and then just do the shiplap above (shiplap should not be expensive compared to other materials)

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    @Minardi Is there a reason not to use thin brick? We did a thin-brick wall in another house, so I think we could diy it to save some labor. Like the first picture above, maybe we could do thin brick for the surround, then some kind of slab for the hearth.


    Also, if we decided to hire a mason and use real brick, would it look odd to have top of the hearth done in brick, but the face and sides of the hearth in wood/drywall? The fireplace wall wraps around into the room behind it, so if we used brick for the whole hearth, I'm not sure how it would transition from brick to the other surface on the side walls.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    If changing when budget permits, I’d go with a very simple design that can be easily altered. Suggest an inlaid hearth to save money, as you’ll probably want to complement the new design. Consider going black, so it’s not visually interrupted. Use shiplap on the upper section, but if not possible, the reclaimed mantle and accessories will add needed interest.



  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    You are not doing any wood around a wood burning fireplace firebox unless you want to burn the house down. You've got some very wrong ideas about both budget and suitable materials. Thin brick is much more expensive than full brick. It's not that difficult to set either, when you have both a laser and a string level, and the application is just decorative.

    Either way, the entire surround as a whole has to be built with the thickness of the finish materials in mind, so the firebox can be set at the correct depth. That's another burn the house down gotcha. I think you'd really benefit from a fire department captain visiting you and looking at that. It doesn't look like it's built right from the beginning. There's too much flammable material in that pic. Steel studs and cement board are the material of choice for building a wood burning surround.

  • last month

    @Maureen According to the fireplace guy, the black metal surround can be covered with a non-combustible material, so we don't have to keep the black. The bottom part of the surround will be covered by the hearth.

  • last month

    @Minardi I'm just using information provided by our contractor and fireplace installer. If there's building code that says this is done wrong, I'd love to see it and share it with them.

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    A wood burning insert burns much hotter and has more fire risk than a gas insert. There are 0 distance to combustible electric or gas inserts possible. Not so for a wood burner. You need to provide the model number for the specs.


    https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-211-standard-development/211

  • last month

    Model is EL42. Contractor says it was installed per manufacturer specs. I can confirm measurements next time I'm onsite.

  • PRO
    last month

    The wall isn't that large. You might be able to afford a brick veneer.

    Here is a link to El Dorado. They offer thin brick and stone for homes.


    https://www.westlakeroyalbuildingproducts.com/stone/eldorado-stone/tundrabrick?profile=696&color=697&title=TundraBrick%C2%AE



    Another option is Floor & Decor


    https://www.flooranddecor.com/search?q=brick&tab=search-tabs-products&sz=48

    They offer thin brick and thin brick panels