How to Tile a Fireplace Surround

Tiling a fireplace surround is an elegant upgrade well worth the effort. In a few days, you can create an entertainment spot for dinner parties and family holidays

Jennifer StimpsonThis Old House magazine

Introduction

Introduction
Overview
Step 1
Create a Smooth Surface
Step 2
Install a Temporary Support Ledge
Step 3
Set the Upper Field Tiles
Step 4
Lay the rest of the field
Step 5
Tile the Legs
Step 6
Set the Cut Tiles
Step 7
Grout the Tile
Step 8
Grout the Art Tile

The time for those exposed bricks framing your fireplace, with their pocked faces and rustic finish, is long past. Nights by that fire practically screamed for a glass of Chablis and the soothing sounds of Lionel Ritchie. Now you’re more about dinner parties and family holidays in front of the hearth. But before you go at the bricks with a paint roller and some white semigloss, consider the more elegant cover-up of art tiles.

Tiling a fireplace surround isn’t a quickie makeover. But as This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers demonstrates, it’s well worth the effort. In a few days, you can upgrade the heart of your home, taking it from date-night cliche to elegant entertainment spot ready to impress.

Accent tile: Halstead; field tile in Rothwell Gray; both from Motawi Tile, about $108 per square foot.

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Tools List

Drill/driver with mortar mixing paddle
½-inch notched trowel
2-foot level
Circular saw
Wet-cutting tile saw (rents for about $40 per day)
1 1/2-inch angled sash brush
Putty knife
Painter's tape
Rubber grout float
Grout bag
Grout sponge
Caulk gun

Shopping List

1. Tile Available through manufacturers, specialty shops, or home centers in a wide variety of materials. For most basic tile or stone, you can calculate the square footage of your surround and buy 10 percent more tile than needed, to account for cuts and mistakes. If you’re working with art tile, many manufacturers will create a custom pattern and materials list for you if you send them a measured drawing of your surround.

2. Thinset mortar Look for a product that’s good for wall applications, such as Laticrete Mega Bond. A 50-pound bag will cover up to 100 square feet.

3. Latex additive to improve the flexibility of the thinset and create a stronger bond.

4. 1x3 lumber to create support ledges for the upper field of tiles and the bottom edges of the legs.

5. 2-inch masonry screws to attach the support ledges to the bricks.

6. Tile spacers to separate the tiles evenly and keep them from sliding down while the thinset cures. The size of your joints can vary, based on the tile; a sharp-edged material, such as granite, can be spaced as little as 1⁄8 inch, but more rustic art tile can have 3/16- to 3/8-inch spacing. Buy plastic spacers or make your own from cardboard.

7. Grout If the space between your tiles will be greater than 1⁄8 inch, you’ll need sanded grout; less space calls for unsanded grout.

8. Sanded acrylic caulk is usually available from the grout manufacturer in a complementary color.