Stone fireplace surround

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. *Please read the entire post – I’ve updated it 06/18/18 with a problem and solution.

Wait till you see what I did yesterday – A DIY fireplace surround in STONE!

I met with Aspect Peel & Stick Tiles when I was at the Haven conference in July and their displays were gorgeous. I was offered the opportunity to try some out, but could not think of a single place to put them until I mentioned it to my Dad…

turns out he had a fireplace in his basement that I’d never really paid attention to before (I didn’t even remember him having one at all to be honest – it was that unimpressive).

Sure the chick in the photo is gorgeous, but beyond that, this fireplace is utterly forgettable. If you want to have a beautiful fireplace for your home, you may be better off finding out How Does An Ethanol Fireplace Work? This way, you do not have to get an unremarkable fireplace that isn’t worth your time.

The black TV catches your eye, and the sofas are busy full of fun – but in the mix, you don’t even see the corner fireplace – in fact, you only notice it in the above photo because 1. I mentioned it and 2. the floor lamp is shining directly on it.

I told him about the opportunity with Aspect Peel & Stick Tile and he came aboard and chose out a stone tile called Weathered Quartz.

 

 

 

This isn’t faux stone, or rubber made to look like stone – it is a real stone sheeting over a super-adhesive base – which means it has all of the gradations, texture and sheen of a real stone (because it is) without the weight or difficult application (because it’s thinner).

It’s GORGEOUS!

I was a bit nervous about installation though – I thought it must require special tools like a diamond blade tile saw or something of the sort.

Nope – you cut it with metal snips.

You can use a mitre saw if you like, but the snips cut through the tile without any difficulty at all.

Then you just peel and stick.

CAREFULLY peel and stick – the adhesive on these suckers is insane! You can remove them by heating up the adhesive with a hair dryer to loosen, but once they’re on, they are ON. I had to adjust one tile and it took a LOT of effort to get it off.

What do you think of our DIY fireplace surround? Pretty gorgeous eh?

The entire lower section took about 45 minutes and that was with jangling nerves and re-reading the instructions “Cut, peel and stick” over and over to be sure it really was that easy.

We stepped back and I told Dad I thought we still had a lot going on; white trim and mantle, brass fireplace, DIY fireplace surround in gorgeous weathered quarts and a silver mirror.

To many colours and sheens for me – so I eventually sold him on the idea of adding tiles above the fireplace as well…. right over top of the mirror.

Perhaps taking the mirror down would have been a better bet – any tiny gaps in the tiles will be magnified because of the light bouncing off of the mirror underneath – but , the mirror was stuck to the wall and that was more of a DIY than I was prepared to handle.

SPECTACULAR!! (so glad I talked you into it Dad!)

The top section of my DIY fireplace surround took less than 45 minutes – so overall this project came in at a whopping hour and a half.

I can’t believe how much better the fireplace looks! It’s now the focal point of the room and makes even his man-cave feel warm and welcoming – like a cottage or hunting lodge maybe?

Yes, he still has VHS tapes – probably Beta as well – but one battle at a time.

We brought back in some of his man-stuff (doesn’t everyone hang jerseys from the light fixtures?)

This is a sponsored post – I was given Aspect Peel & Stick Tile to try out – but I am not exaggerating on either the ease of installation or the beauty of this product.

Real stone, real easy, REALLY impressive!

Pricing is by the tile – which comes in a 24″ by 6″ rectangle – so roughly 1 square foot.

My Dad’s fireplace surround used approximately 12 tiles which you can buy for approximately $15 US per tile or in a kit which covers 15 square feet for $225.

The upper section of the DIY fireplace surround took almost as much, so the overall cost of this project was around $405 (for 27 tiles).

Natural stone wall tiles range from $6 and up (and up and up) per square foot – which seems less expensive – but (and trust me, we’ve installed it) it is MUCH more difficult and requires a specialty saw to cut and a coating of special adhesive and tools to spread the adhesive and patience, patience, patience. (or labour charges to hire someone else with patience) It was NOT an easy job.

In hindsight – now that I’ve tried the Aspect Peel & Stick Tiles – I would opt for this version hands down.

In fact, I want to tile everything now! I’m thinking backsplashes, tub surrounds, laundry room wall, around my fireplace…

Check out the options from Aspect Peel & Stick Tiles – glass, stone, metal, subway, hex pattern – all peel and stick!

 

UPDATE: June 2018

My Dad called me a few months after the installation of the faux stone to say that the panels were coming loose from the wall.

They were sticking to the mirror with no problem, but were coming off of the drywalled area around the fire itself.

I should tell you that this is totally MY error – not the tiles at all.

The instructions clearly state to apply primer to painted walls before adhering the tiles, or to add an extra adhesive to ensure they stick. That’ll teach me to not read the instructions!

Easy fix – I added some of the adhesive recommended above to the fallen tiles and then re-applied them.

Now they aren’t going anywhere! Just wanted to update you and save you the headache of having to go back over your work.

 

 

I received product from Aspect Peel & Stick Tiles in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are sincere and my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission which helps keep 100Things2Do up and running.

 

Linked to:

• Between Naps on the Porch

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