island - I don't miss those fireplace doors at all! :) We'll try and sell them on Craigs List but wonder if anyone will want them. LOL. Yes, we did replace the entire firebox. We purchased a Heat & Glo direct vent gas fireplace and had to pull out the old firebox and reframe for the direct vent unit. There are many styles of doors they offer, and the prices vary. We liked the fancy arched ones, but not for $999! We went with the Folio, clean face front which was no charge. Figured we would put the "savings" toward the flooring. We can always get a nice fireplace folding screen if we want. Check out the Heat & Glo website for more information. www.heatnglo.com. We went with the CLX 6000 model which comes with a remote, nice embers and log set, and a blower. Let me know if you have questions! tinan - Yes, the smell was awful! I wondered the same thing about the noxious coatings. Ugh! At least the smell is gone now. Enjoy your new furnace!

Not sure about the Durock or wire mesh, which is one of your main questions. I don't do tile work, but I do design fireplace covers and gas fires and often help people with an overall finished look. So I created these two mockups to help you along the way, seeing as we don't know what direction you are really going with the style of decor in this room. I was going to create a mockup also showing a more traditional style mantel surround, but ran out of time. If you go that route, those two electrical supplies will likely need to be moved. Tile floor to ceiling with glass doors and burning glass with geoshapes Tile half way up with glass doors and matching metal angle iron trim to hide the exposed tile edge. We can make that metal trim any depth necessary. This works well if you want a rather contemporary look. You can also use wood molding. (Shown with gas burning fireballs.)

Omg I LOVE Rookwood tiles! Yours are just gorgeous. Yeah, situation with the contractor is bizarre! Rookwood is fabulous. I spoke with their designers and they were able to design the layout fo the tiles for me based on my budget and what I was wanting with the roses and leaves. It's not bizarre. it's either that he hasn't a clue how to lay tile or more likely doesn't want to spend the money on a talented tile installer. My tile installation if I recall took a full day just for the tiles. Then grouting took another bit of time.

Porcelanosa has thin porcelain slabs in sizes you need. Used on my fireplaces. The problem might be finding good fabricator https://www.porcelanosa-usa.com/products/tile.html/porcelain-panels/liemdark-nature