I just used a black grout and pressed it into the cracks with a stir stick. Finishing up the last bits of grouting. The finished product after the grout was dry and

To finish off the hearth, we just added some slate looking tiles we purchased at Menard’s.  All that’s left to do is add the grout.

We purchased some oak veneer at Menard’s to use for the edging of the hearth.  The first thing I had to do was to route out the area so that the veneer

All of the bricks in the old hearth were loose and the mortar was pretty shot.  Since we had the new insert put in, we figured we should do something to make

After opening the fireplace, we contacted a local fireplace company to have them come out and inspect the chimney to see if it would be safe to use again.  They told us

A few months prior, we had been digging around in the basement and came upon this heavy cast iron part, but we had no clue as to what it was.  While opening

Melissa always wanted a fireplace, wood burning, preferred.  So, it was eating her alive that the fireplace was bricked closed.  One day, she decided that she was going to open it up

I’m not sure why, but it appears that we took no photos during the process of cutting, staining, finishing or installing the crown molding.  Anyway, here are the finished photos.