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Design Dilemma Fireplaces living room

Help with Fireplace

5 years ago

Hi everyone,

I'm doing a renovation and have a pretty ugly fireplace (imo) I need to redesign. I have a few questions regarding it. There's currently a gas insert installed that works perfectly. My options for the fireplace are:

1. Paint the brick white to match the rest of the room. The mantel is actually built into the brick unfortunately, and I would like to have it lower to mount a TV on top. I not quite sure if I can remove the mantel, and still have it look decent enough to paint. It's literally mortared into the brick right now.

2. Cut the mantle off, tile over the brick, and create a new mantel I'm concerned about this because there are slits above the insert that look like ventilation. Does anyone knows if this was maybe for the previous wood burning fireplace or does it actually vent the gas fireplace? Would it be safe to tile over?

I'm fine keeping the insert and painting the gold trim and the interior firebox "brick" possibly black but I'm unsure if I can tile over the slits above.

Any insight or ideas would be appreciated! This area will be pretty contemporary/modern looking hopefully so I would really like this fireplace to match.

Thanks!

Below is a picture and you can see how high the mantel is and the vertical slits just above the actual gas fireplace.

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Comments (4)

phuninthesun
5 years ago
Your fireplace is definitely fighting with the flooring. Because it looks like your walls are white block, I would paint the entire fireplace a medium to dark gray to set it apart. Leave the existing mantle, but connect a larger wood mantle over it. See pic below for mantle size suggestion.
I would absolutely not mount a TV above the mantle. As you mentioned, it would be too high and with a block wall there is nowhere to run wiring/cable that would not be visible. A beautiful piece of art above the mantle would suffice.
felizlady
5 years ago
The slits are for ventilation, sucking in clean air as the smoke goes up the chimney.
Don't hang a tv over a fireplace that you may use. Heat may be radiated through the wall. I wouldn't hang a tv over any fireplace because it isn't at a comfortable height for viewing if the screen isn't about at head high to a seated adult.
You can paint your fireplace if you own the place.
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Hi, We are re-tiling our fireplace with wood mantel. As you can see, it is quite a large fireplace. We are also starting a kitchen remodel with pure white cabinets and a quartz countertop, vadara white aura, it’s a white background with grey and gold veining). (Sorry I don’t have photos of the kitchen, they are starting in 2 weeks). The fireplace is part of an open layout of the kitchen and family room. I’d love ideas for the fireplace. I want it simple with the blue grey accent wall and the wood mantle to be more of the stand out.
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@Brittany Kruse I don't think your floor and stone facing are awful at all! I have learned though, that many people are less comfortable with pattern than I am. I have learned that pattern needs some effort to combine and also some plain surfaces to help it fit in. To show you I am comfortable with a different look, I will post a picture of my new main floor bathroom. It is still in progress though. See all the pattern in the floor and walls? Some people are uncomfortable with that much pattern and have said so. I still vote to take the stone to the ceiling. I think that looks sort of natural, because many fireplaces do. And choosing the right mantle will be important. But if you want to go only to the height of the mantle, that's fine too. I wouldn't make the mantle too busy and certainly wouldn't try to hide the stone with objects. There's nothing wrong with it. Decorating the room around it and that fascinating floor will be fun!
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As a temporary thing, I’d just have one thing, solid, centered. Because, there’s this triangle upper shape made by the upper woodwork; the soffit extends past the mantle anyway. Small multiple things just look messy. I like the shape of the metal object because it does have that shape. I’d prefer it darker to pick up the stone more. An almost actual triangle or fat obelisk. But I’d not want you to go out and buy just stuff, or obsess about it. To start, just remove the end objects. Another thing you could try, is a single small art painting, just big enough to be between mantel and soffit and a bit wider, some kind of high- contrast abstract, also centered. You could experiment with using just a piece of paper or poster board.
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G S
Original Author
5 years ago
Don't worry about the wall or the flooring or anything else. It's all going anyways.

I was under the impression that gas fireplaces have a vent hose that goes up through the chimney or through the rear exterior wall. I've never seen one that needed to be vented to pull air in or push heat out through the brick work.

That's why I thought the slits would of been for a old wood fireplace before this gas one was put in. I have another fireplace in the same house which is wood burning which is why I feel like the slits were only for the old fireplace and not the gas one.

Can anyone who has hands on experience with gas fireplaces correct me if I'm wrong?
PRO
Beth H. :
5 years ago
I have a gas fp and didn't have those slits, but mine wasn't that brick.

why don't you call a pro fireplace cleaner out to your house and have him appraise it for you. (and clean it. the flue prob hasn't been cleaned)

as for the mantel, you can't just lower wood. there is a certain clearance needed for combustible materials.

as for painting the gold, yes. use this

some ideas for what to do. (if you paint, use a paint meant for masonry)

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