Fireplace finish

The saga of building this house went through many permutations and in the end, we were unable to incorporate a RMH or wood stove and had to settle for a wood fireplace. We still have a woodstove waiting for someplace to be, but that is another story.
The fireplace, as built was unfinished. It was just drywall on the wall and hearth areas. The "mantle was also just a drywall eyebrow.



The first thing I made was a wooden mantle. That was installed in 2023.
The fireplace was usable but lacked the appropriate noncombustible materials in the right areas. We used some leftover granite tile that we have been carting around for years as temporary hearth cover, but the walls were getting black and it's not exactly the safest situtaion.



I organized the leftover tiles and decided on a color scheme and layout.





The cut edges get some wax and buffing rouge to adjust the color afterward. Then there was some stacked stone we purchased on sale over a year ago to go up the wall. I cut and installed a steel plate to act as a smoke diverter and bridge to hold the stone along the top of the firebox.



The project was completed just in time to have our first dinner with company on New Year's Eve.



Liz did the artwork arrangement (some of the items are pieces she made).



The fireplace is fully functional, safe to use, and I get to cross another project off my list!