Yes you can, There's certain methods and decisions to make, but if you hire a Qualified tile installer they will quickly be able to handle this project.

If you go it DIY you will want to scarify the granite with mechanical means and choose wisely your Thinset and tile combination.

Adding stone or tile might look odd at the inner and outer edges. To do a good job you might need to remove the mantel and stone especially if you want to change the hearth as well..

There is no tile on earth that would look better than that.

Your fireplace and the granite are stunning...I wouldn't touch anything there except what you are already doing (new screen and cleaning are about it). The expression "leave good enough alone" comes to mind although I think yours is BEAUTIFUL not just good. You could put brick face there but I would not bother because what you already have is a cleaner more modern look. As the previous poster said, you would have to rip it out to do a really good job (so it doesn't look built up).

Good to hear. That fireplace is classic and elegant. Tiling it over would be tragic, and probably look like a hack job.

In total agreement with those who say it's beautiful as is. It is! No need to reface. (and this is coming from one who desperately wants to tile over her really not attractive brick fireplace) I'd give anything to have mine look like yours. :)

I don't think it hurts to express an opinion that it might be a mistake to mess with something so classy. In any case, I suspect that the OP has probably made a decision and moved on in the 20 months since this was first posted.

Its silly to claim responses to questions must not stray beyond what the OP asked. When people ask a question on the internet they should be prepared for advice about every aspect of the issue.

tsscee123:

Fair enough. I would have the OP tile over cement board that fit over the existing granite. She would have the tile she loved and the original fabric would remain in place undamaged if a new owner prefers granite.

And Joe? how are you going to bond the CBU to the granite again? pretty sure it needs be bonded with thinset or anchored every 6" with tapcons, you have peaked my interest..

Who says it needs to be bonded? Push a little silicone around the edges. Your drunken brother-in-law isn't going to be able to move it. Much.

Kind of A florida cowboy move, while i cant condone it...I like it and you know i like silicone

I have opposite problem/question. My house came with fireplace that has 8" tall hearth with slab on top which seems to be sandstone, and which now has a hole in it the size of a few quarters. I never liked the color anyway, and I would like to have granite instead. It seems the easiest least expensive make-over would be to just put a slab of granite on top of the sandstone (with mortar in between). Is this feasible, or is the sandstone too weak to support the granite?

They make buildings out of sandstone. The pharaohs had temples constructed from it. Your hearth being able to support a piece of granite is not an issue: Sandstone monuments

I know I am late to this thread but I wanted to add that I did exactly this. I used liquid nails to adhere the brick to the granite. I also squeezed liquid nails between the brinks and added dry mortar mixture on top of the liquid nails. This formed a base for the wet mortar I added later. I have never laid any tile or brick prior but I was happy with the end result.