Fireplace & Dining area remodel - Final touch

Rennie Heuer

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Well, the hideous pink tile is gone as well as all the popcorn from the ceiling. Next step, a wood feature wall in the dining area and built ins around the fireplace.
Here are the obligatory "before" shots of the space.
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The feature wall will have a plate rail at about 55" and wood frame & panel below - all in VG DF. I am also installing a new fire rated fiberglass 6-panel door to the shop. The fireplace will have built ins on either side (enclosed space below mantel height for stereo equipment, etc. and less deep open shelving above). The fireplace will have a tumbled tile surround and hearth and the over-mantel and the front of the hearth will have the same frame & panel treatment as the wall. The mantel will go across the entire unit and become the top of the lower cabinets. Something like this:
p1090886.jpg
or this
This is very close to what I had in mind.jpg

Looking forward to completion no later than the end of September.
 
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Wow, making serious progress there Rennie. :thumb:

I really like both of those mantels, will have to show those to my wife as we're thinking about updating the look the fireplace in the new house.

:lurk:
 
I love the picture 5 of 5.....that is one impressive wall unit!:thumb:

It's very close to what I want to do. My lower built ins would be deeper than the front of the fireplace, just like in the picture. But, instead of windows above, there will be shallow book shelves - about 10" deep. Not really meant for books - more art work, etc.

Both ideas look great Rennie:thumb: Are you going to get rid of some of the brick to accomplish the look you want?
Tom, none of the brick will be visible when I am done. It will look very much like th 5th picture with tile around the firebox and on the hearth, and wood everywhere else.
 
Rennie you work neat man.:thumb: Place dont look like a job site except for the patchs on the walls. Not an ounce of popcorn in site.:eek:;)

I like your taste.:thumb: Pic no 5 for me too. With a nice old clock face in it as well.:D

Will follow along.:):thumb:
 
Rennie you work neat man.:thumb: Place dont look like a job site except for the patchs on the walls. Not an ounce of popcorn in site.:eek:;)

I like your taste.:thumb: Pic no 5 for me too. With a nice old clock face in it as well.:D

Will follow along.:):thumb:

Hmmm. You should have seen the place when every inch of the floor was covered in rosin paper and the walls were all draped with plastic. What a mess!:eek:

I managed to get the new door installed last night. It's a big improvement, though it did not go as well as planned. NOT ONE SINGLE WALL IN THIS HOUSE IS PLUMB!!:bang: I managed to get the gap even all the way around and it swings and closes fine, but the upper corner does not close as tight as it should. The wall on the right of the door in the picture leans into the shop a bit.:doh:

Anyway, here's the first progress shot.
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Rennie, if you had a house with plumb walls, it may very well be the only one in the country!

I replaced interior doors in my house and the jams are not square. Good luck with getting an even reveal! I have to removed the entire jam into the laundry room and square that, then rehang the door.

BTW, nice job so far. I really like your plans for that wall.
Sheesh!
 
hey rennie you need to cut some holes in the wall first for the windows:) and after that is done then your idea will look great.. oh thats right you cant thats your shop back there.. but hey that would be a nice addition you get more light and your wife and friends can watch you work.. looking forward to the final out come.. sept isnt far away yu better get started:thumb:
 
I also like pic number 5. No pictures of the pink tile?

When ever I had to replace a door and nothing was sguare or plumb I would order the door with wider jambs. That way depending how bad the walls are out you don't need to fool with jamb extensions.
 
Time to ressurect this thread!

Finally making headway on the fireplace. There were a lot of design and 'how-to' questions bouncing around in my head the past few months. I think I have them all sorted out.

The first pictures show the right side cabinet set in place (temporarily) so I could get some ideas on the mantel placement. The side of the cabinet is meant to pick up the wainscoting theme from the dining room next door. Same vertical dimensions as the wall.
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The next pictures show the strapping installed for the plywood over-mantel and pilasters. Starting from the firebox, the first section surrounding the firebox will be a 2x2 arts & crafts style tile. (The hearth will be a matching 4x4) The next section out will be VG doug fir. The narrow horizontal opening above that is a pocket to receive the doug fir beam I'll be using for the mantle. Finished dims will be 68" ling, 7 1/2" deep, and 3" thick. It will be supported by 4 corbels approximately 4" tall, 4" wide, and 6" deep. The over mantle will be 3/4" VGDF plywood with flat molding applied to imitate the frame and panel wainscoting. True F&P would not have held if anyone ever wanted to hang a picture/mirror/TV (over my dead body!) The perimeter of the hearth will also be done in VGDF.
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This is a tip for putting tapcon screws into old brick or mortar. For some reason I just could not get a good bite from the screw alone. Even though I used the provided bit the holes seemed just a tad too large. In each hole I inserteted a short length of copper braided wire. Bingo! Great bite and the strapping is tight to the brick. I also used a construction adhesive.
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Last, but not least, here is my bride applying the third color (so far) to the wall in the dining room. We just can't seem to find one she really likes.:rolleyes::D
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Good fix on the tapcon Rennie.:thumb::thumb::thumb: I'm thinking your masonry bit may of had some wobble in it and made the hole too big. The hole looks a bit big. The bit size for a 1/4" anchor should be 3/16"
 
Good fix on the tapcon Rennie.:thumb::thumb::thumb: I'm thinking your masonry bit may of had some wobble in it and made the hole too big. The hole looks a bit big. The bit size for a 1/4" anchor should be 3/16"
Thanks Bob. I bought several of the Tapcon bits specifically for the screws I was using. I think my hammer drill might have a little to much excitement at the bit end. In any event, the braided copper worked like a charm.
 
Rennie, looking good and thanks for the wire idea. I'm going to be using some tapcons soon and will use that tip if needed! :thumb:
 
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