Reviving a Vintage Fireplace: A Modern Makeover with DIY Concrete Coating
The house originally had a wood-burning fireplace from 1971 that was not in working order. Given its condition, I was unsure which path to take: a new gas insert, wood-burning, or decorative candles. I had a professional come in to assess the state of the chimney/flue. It needed minor repairs to the flue and damper, and it could be a wood-burning fireplace again. Decision made — I proceeded with restoring it to wood burning.
I will start out with a few improvements I made before getting into the main project of coating the hearth. The existing damper handle on the front was gold and tarnished. Given the choices made in the rest of the room, it looked very dated and was pulling the orange color in the brick. Instead of replacing it, I painted it with Rust-oleum High Heat in a flat black finish. The Spark Screen and Valance were missing. I found an adjustable Valence on Amazon along with a Spark Screen that was the right length. The fireplace ledger had holes from a long-lost spark screen. So, I thought I had an easy DIY project. Unfortunately, they were not in the right places, and I was afraid of damaging the brick, creating a much larger and expensive project. It is original brick that could not be replaced, so I hired a professional to reduce the risk of damage to the brick.
The existing damper handle on the front was dating the fireplace and pulling the orange color in the brick. I started by painting the existing hardware with Rust-oleum High Heat in a flat black finish. The brick was in fabulous shape, so I decided to leave it as is and used walnut highlights in the living room. This made the fireplace look intentional and blend with the rest of the décor.
Success — The first fire:
Next up was refreshing the hearth. The original slate tiles were permanently ingrained with decades of stains. Additionally, they were installed in a pattern that looked like a sunburst gone wrong. Given the risk of damaging the brick by removing the tile, I wanted a solution that would cover the existing tile. I found a video that inspired me to try a concrete coating on the hearth.
I bought a kit that was heat resistant for fireplaces. I originally ordered the kit in a medium grey (Flannelle). When I mixed up a sample to test the color, I discovered the mortar had a brown tint. The grey did not look right at all. All was not lost, I used the grey on another project and ordered a darker almost black color (Aronia), which was very similar to the existing slate.
It took 5 days to apply the new finish as I had to wait 24hrs between layers to allow them to cure/dry.
Step 1: Cleaned the hearth with TSP, then taped and applied sealant.
Step 2: Taped the joints with fiberglass tape and sealed again.
Step 3: Applied self-leveler to fill the joints.
Instead of purchasing a self-leveling product, I added extra water to the powder finish so it acted as a self-leveler.
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Step 4: Applied the first coat of finish.
After you apply the finish, it is important to remove the tape while the product is still wet. It is very hard to remove the tape and get a clean line if the concrete is allowed to set first
Step 4: Sanded and applied the second layer of finish.
After the first coat of finish dried, you could see an outline of the original tiles, but it disappeared with the second coat
Step 5: Final sanding and application of heat-proof varnish supplied with the kit.
For the final coat, I did not sand it smooth as I wanted it to have some texture. Additionally, I pressed in some silicon carbide grit into the top coat. This gave the hearth a bit of sparkle and a more natural stone look. Do not use silicon carbide if you want a smooth finish, as it is used to polish stones and will not sand down. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture the sparkle in a photo.
In the final coat I did not sand it smooth as I wanted it to have a some texture. In addition, I pressed in some into the top coat. It gave the hearth a bit of sparkle and more of a natural stone look. Do not used Silicon carbide if you want a smooth finish, it is used to polish stones and will not sand down. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture the sparkle in a photo.
Here is the finished product. The only tool needed was a putty knife to spread the coating.
I am very happy with the completed project. Some minor updates gave the fireplace a modern feel while maintaining its vintage character.
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