Step 2: Remove old hearth

giving a fireplace a facelift
Photo: Brian Wilder
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• Tape thin plywood or cardboard to floor around hearth to protect floor from scratches and debris.
• Use demolition hammer with a chisel bit to chip away old hearth and the mortar underneath (as shown). Leave concrete hearth base and firebox floor in tact.
• Brush and vacuum debris and dust from hearth base.
Tip: Wear eye and ear protection and a dist mask when using a demolition hammer.
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    Tools List

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    • Demolition hammer
      Demolition hammer
    • suction cups
      Suction cups
      for moving heavy slabs of stone
    • notched trowel
      1/2-inch notched trowel
    • brick trowel
      Brick trowel
      for smoothing topping mix in corners of hearth base
    • flat finishing trowel
      Flat finishing trowel
      for smoothing topping mix on hearth base
    • brick hammer
      Brick hammer
    • mallet
      Mallet
    • mason's brush
      Mason's brush
    • circular saw
      Circular saw
    • jigsaw
      Jigsaw

    Shopping List

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    1. STONE SLABS
    Make cardboard templates of the pieces you'll need and take them to a fabricator that specializes in stone countertops.

    2. TILE
    Make cardboard templates as you would with stone, and then plot the layout of the tiles on these. This will give you an exact count, but order extra.