Quick, dazzle them with the dramatic reveal!
BEFORE
AFTER
Apologies for the iPhone "before" photo but that fireplace was so hideous it never really deserved a proper photograph. When Tony purchased this condo in 2009, the biggest priority on the list of renovation projects was that outdated 1970's faux lava stone fireplace. Or as my friend called it, "a fireplace from a 1970's porn video" (not sure how she made that connection).
It took us quite some time to work up the confidence (and save the money) to tackle the beast. One and a half years later and it's finally complete. Well, it was more like 1.25 years of procrastinating and then intermittently working on it between our busy schedules. Boy am I glad we did it! It completely changes the feel of the room for the better. I am now on the hunt for an affordable round mirror to hang on the wall above the fireplace.
Here are some photos of the process:
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Me tearing it down! That felt so good. |
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I just wanted you to appreciate how outdated the fireplace was again. |
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| Replacing the rock wall with drywall. |
Imagine some photos here of us puttying the drywall seams, texturizing the wall, and painting. Then, painting the mantel parts we got from Lowe's and putting it all together.
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| It took me a couple visits to the tile store and ordering a few samples to finally decide on this wonderful carrara marble. This is us figuring out the tile situation and preparing to make the cuts. |
Tadaaaaa!
And if you noticed the recessed lighting, you just got a preview of a future posting. =)
22 comments:
Oh. Em. Gee.
That is the most beautiful Before & After on the internet! You should submit that to some design blogs. (seriously)
Thanks kirwin! I thought about submitting it to some design blogs but really wasn't sure where or how to go about it. I'm quite new to this blogging thing. Any suggestions? Btw, your blog is spectacular.
Totally fabulous!! i can't wait to see it in May! :)
wow!! that's awesome. Now I know who to call if I need some remodeling work done!
What a transformation! We had a fireplace exactly like that when we moved into our last home. (The room also had spindles separating the kitchen from the family room and brown Brady Bunch paneling. Yuck. What were they thinking in the '70's?!!!)
WOW!!! That is so awesome! My parents have an old rock wall fireplace, and I totally want to do this now for them! (Came from Remodelaholic)
That is so pretty!! What did you do with all the old lava rocks? Hopefully something cool. The marble is just gorgeous. :)
Wow, such a dramatic before and after! Love it, great job!!!
Found you over at the DIY and had to tell you that is spectacular... you guys did an awesome job... it looks so fresh and modern now. Great job.
Very nice transformation! Those rock walls are so dated, I love what you've done.
@Aimee "Roo" Thanks! We actually just tossed out those rocks. I was so eager to get rid of them I did not think to get creative with them. Most of them were pretty beat up after our demolition. We were quite enthusiastic with the crowbar and chisel. So glad you stopped by.
@Miss Madison's Mommy Thank you! The living room is now my favorite room because the fireplace is now an inviting focal point of the room an not something I was embarrassed for guests to see. =)
@Proper Prim Thank you for stopping by!
@Sara @ Russet Street Reno Thanks, Sara! I agree. Tony said he did not realize how dated it was until I put the before and after pics side by side.
@Karen@StrictlySimpleStyle My thoughts exactly! I often wonder what renovations we are doing now that will be considered horrible forty years from now.
@Teresa It was a lot of work, but totally worth it I thought! All the condo units in our complex have the same fireplace and some of our neighbors have painted the lava rocks white to update them. We just wanted those extra 4 inches of space in the living room.
Great job! over from DIY Showoff. For info and prices on how I chose my round mirror (you mentioned looking for one) check out my post on the one I chose here: http://stormcloudnine.blogspot.com/2011/03/mirror-mirror-on-wall.html
Looks like the Regency fireplace I've seen in the web which caught my attention. I also like to remodel anything at home that I find old. Glad to hear that people love to change things to make it better.
Great job. There is really a big difference from what it looks like before. I'm so glad because I now have an idea on what to do with an old stuff at home. I might use some mould remover, in my case because it is already building up.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is such an inspiration! We are newlyweds trying to renovate our home on a shoe string budget. We have a faux fireplace made with red bricks in the living room and we had no idea what to do with it but your post gives us hope! I also love the addition of the recess lighting.
We recently bought our home and have the exact 1970s issue in our living room. Not wanting to spend the money to have someone else come remove it, do you have any pointers? I somewhat fear doing this, but know we can. It's a matter of how exactly.
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Cast Stone Fireplaces
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