Thanks all. I like the idea about painting the white trim....but it's a bigger job than you might think. Whatever gets painted in the family room also needs to get painted in the kitchen. The problem is that the new windows in my kitchen have white hardware and inside trim so painting the moulding on them would look weird. The mantle has actually been painted. It used to be off-white, now it's fauxed...can't really tell from the picture! I had it custom built and wish I had made it larger...oh well. Thanks for all the comments. I'll leave the plant out of there and get larger tools. Maybe more pillows for the chair/loveseat.

These questions can only be answered by the original installation instructions. Factory fireplace detailing is limited to those instructions because that is the way they were tested but it is unlikely there will be any detail for blocking the vents so doing so would be a code violation which would cause you trouble collecting insurance repair funds if there was ever a fire. I would either replace the unit with a direct vent fireplace or hire a professional floor refinisher who would have no trouble refinishing the floor without damaging the flush hearth tile and leave the fireplace alone. The refinisher might even allow you to install the tile after the floor is refinished.

Check with the manufacturer of the fireplace. Some gas units can have a zero clearance requirement while others have varying requirements. I have an older gas fireplace and an 18" deep, 12" high hearth. Even the stone directly in front of the fire on the hearth does not get warm to the touch after hours of my fireplace being on. I can't imagine it would possibly damage flooring that is separated with a 12" x12" hearth, but you will need to know what the manufacturer recommends to be sure.

Additionally , you don’t have to do picture frame molding if you can get the tile flooring around the fireplace to be flush with the wood floor. You then frame out that section of floor with thinner pieces of your regular wood floor instead of picture frame molding . It will all look more cleaner .