In Part 1 of How to Build a Faux Fireplace and Transform a Room, I shared with you how we built the basic frame for my son and daughter-in-law’s new faux fireplace. With the frame built, it was time to hang the brick-looking tile. 

Locating the brick-tile wasn’t easy, but with brick in hand, we were ready for the next step. 

First, we needed to determine the layout. We needed to plan ahead so that in the end, everything would be spaced correctly. Generally, when laying tile, I start by locating the center and working out from there.

This insures that if tiles need to be cut, they are cut to the same lengths on both sides. We didn’t want a 4” cut on the right side and a 1” cut on the left. That would just be tacky. We needed to consider the vertical layout for the same reasons. 

After we had a pretty good idea where the tile should go, we simply started hanging it. In addition to the tile we also needed thin set mastic, an appropriately sized notched trowel, and tile spacers. 

The trowel size is determined by reading the packaging of the mastic and is dependent on the size of the tiles. 

We used 1/2” spacers. 1/2” for a tile grout line is somewhat unusual. Normally, a grout line would be much skinnier, especially when installing smaller tiles like ours, but, if our brick tiles were going to look like brick, we needed our grout to be fat and chunky. 

After the mastic was applied with the trowel, the brick tiles were firmly pressed into the mastic. That process was completed over and over again until we’d covered both sides of the fireplace.

With the sides completed, we started thinking about how we wanted the front of the fireplace to look. We didn’t think we’d like the finished look if we just ran the tile in rows across the front, so we tested it. We pulled out a pencil and drew tiles on the backer board. It’s a whole lot easier to erase or scribble out lines than it is to move tile. Believe me on this!

Sure enough, the look wasn’t quite right. It would have worked well with a sleek, modern fireplace, but that’s not what we wanted and in this application it just looked boring. After lots of talking, brainstorming, and drawing, we opted to offset some of the bricks around the firebox and to hang them vertically across the top. It just made the finished product look so much better!

Sometimes a little planning can save a whole lot of headaches later!

We did not tile the area where the mantel would attach. Additionally, we left a blank spot, the size of one brick, for tv cords to pass into the interior of the fireplace so they can remain hidden. If they ever decide to locate the tv somewhere else, or sell the house that hole is easy to cover by applying a single brick. 

In addition to the brick tile, we needed to finish out the firebox. Brick panelling from Home Depot was perfect. We painted it a matte black and cut it to fit the firebox. The left side and the bottom are removable giving access to the wall outlet, the cable tv cord and the cords running from the tv. The cable box just sits in the corner of the box and blends right into the black “bricks”. 

Once the tile was hung and the mastic was allowed to dry, it was time to grout. We chose a grey color that resembled traditional brick mortar. Grout is applied by pushing the grout into the crevices between the tile, then removing the excess. This is done with a tool called a float. It’s basically a rubbery trowel. Then the grout residue and haze is washed from the surface. 

This is, hands down, my least favorite part of hanging tile. In fact, I hate washing grout. It’s messy, time consuming and takes elbow grease. Though we started the grouting before I had to return home, Joseph and Jamie ended up finishing the bulk of it after I’d left. Based on our follow-up FaceTimes I suspect they now despise cleaning grout haze as much as I do! 

With the fireplace built and the tile all hung and grouted, Joseph turned his attention to the mantel. He built it out of pine, then distressed and stained it. Not bad for a kid who wasn’t going to do projects! He made his mama proud!

Finally, to add a touch of authenticity and contribute to the overall look, they added a fire grate and some logs. 

I love how it transformed their room! But more than that, I loved the time I shared with them. I wouldn’t trade that for the world!