Thursday, June 18, 2009

Fireplace Remodel

When we were picking options for our house we picked the basic finish for the fireplace as the builder's option to upgrade {to a mediocre} mantel cost $800 {$800!?}.

Well, I thought that I could do better than that so this past Saturday we went to Home Depot and spent under $100.



It went from this...



...to this.
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
{*note: not permanent decorations, I just took these out of a box and popped them up there for a picture. It will probably end up having completely different stuff on it}


So my first step was to take off all of the existing trim.


Then I took my miter saw and nail gun to the pieces above.


To make this.
I initially cut the pillars long and then messed with everything, taping pieces to the wall to see how they would look and then making several more small cuts to get to where I was happy with it.



But now I love it.



The builder left us almost a full gallon of the trim paint {how handy!}, so I was able to match everything in the house perfectly.
The bad about this is that it is an oil based paint, what a pain.
It made these drips and overlaps of thicker paint. Grrr.


So I got some steel wool and sanded everything down after the first coat.


I took a piece that looked like the one on the left and made it into the one on the right.


And made a mess doing so.
So after vacuuming/wiping up really good I did a second and a third coat.



And I'm pleased with how it looks.



And look, we have a fun view out of our living room.
We are so lucky!
*Update: I am participating in Shanty2Chic's "I made it without my hubby" party*

14 comments:

Unknown said...

It's beautiful! Nice job!

Angie said...

You're AMAZING, Carmen!

Anonymous said...

Looks awesome! I think you could teach Von a few things. ;-) Glad to come across your blog! Marci

Carmen said...

Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it!

Karalee Ann said...

Nice job!! I love it! It looks really good! You are so talented :)

cindy@cottage instincts said...

I'm kinda addicted to fireplace remodels lately. Prolly because I'll never get to do it to my own beast. *sigh* Yours is simply loverly :O)
peace, cindy

Kim at Polka Dot Thought said...

You did a fabulous job--really great work there! I hope to do our fireplace soon--it is on my never ending list! :)

Delightful Dwelling said...

It looks beautiful, great job!

shelbie said...

Your mantle looks great! Question though. What does the steel wool do? I got some steel wool with my sander and I wasn't sure what it did. or what stage to use it. maybe email me if you get a chance? That would rock.
Thanks! (shelbieclouse@yahoo.com)

Unknown said...

Great job, your room looks wonderful.
Sandy

Carmen said...

Shelbie-
The steel wool served as a kind of gentle sand paper, taking down uneven spots on the paint without taking off all of the paint. I just shot you off an email with the same information, but thought other people might have the same question.

Everyone-
Thanks so much for the complements! Warm fuzzies all around.

Shanty 2 Chic said...

Love this!! It's beautiful! You did an awesome job... LOVE it:)
~Whitney

There's No Place Like Memphis Mama said...

Really love your white curtains...where did you get them?

Carmen said...

Memphis Mama -

Sorry, I didn't notice your comment till now. I got the curtains at IKEA for $5 a pair, cannot beat their price.

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