An Upcylced Fireplace Facelift; A before and after!

UPDATE:  Our fireplace has gotten another facelift!

Our fireplace was a HUGE focal point in the room and it was just... well, BLAH! 

I kept warning my husband I was going to do something, but wasn't sure what. He was skeptical.  

After all, it wasn't SO bad and he didn't want me to ruin a perfectly good fireplace surround.

We live in the Northland where it seems like all things rustic go, so I wanted something earthy, simple, and organic.  I kept thinking something like a barn wood, only a bit cleaner of a look,...more modern.  

I came across this company that repurposes wood and makes them into tiles… um, genius!

The texture, dimension, and color was like something I've never seen before.

That my friends, was EXACTLY what I was looking for!  They have two products to choose from: 

Up-cylced wood, (which is basically wood scraps from cabinet makers) and re-cycled wood (made from barn wood ).  They take the wood and put it on a patented tile backing so it goes up like traditional tile does.  Best part?  It's made in the good ole USA!

This company is AMAZING!!! Not only do they make a GREAT product, but their customer service is seriously top notch! Kim and I spoke for days.  I sent her photos, dimensions and ideas.  

She sent me samples and lots of details on installation. 

The plan? would be to take off the cross beams and make the surface flush to add the wood tiles.. 

The problem? the cross beams were glued on, so taking the wood beams of

 may not be as easy as it sounds....

What's a girl to do?  I called up my handy dandy dad who brought his tools by and we got right to it!

We made sure we laid the tiles out before we started installation.  There is a lot of variation in the color, so I wanted to be able to hand pick the ones that would go on the face of the fireplace.

             

 Once everything was removed we put on the pre-mixed thin set and went to work.  It was NOT difficult at all.  Time consuming... a little.  We just had lots of cuts. A little reminder when laying tile, start at the bottom and work your way to the top.  Otherwise, the tile slides down and creates uneven lines while it's drying!   We learned this the hard way and may have had to start over in a spot.  Oops!

I think what I love most is the dimension and variation all the tiles have!  Everyone who comes to our home immediately walks over to it and asks what it is!  We LOVE it!!!

One more look at the before & after transformation!

I entered this Fireplace Makeover in Creating with the Stars.. Go check it out over there  I'm #159. Click on the photo to vote and then "PIN" it for an extra entry!!!

#CWTS2014

You can read more about this amazing company here:

http://www.eandstile.net

If you want to see how the whole room is coming together, check out my posting about it here

Linking up to: http://www.remodelaholic.com

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