What can I do with this fireplace besides rip it out and start over?
stoolis
17 days ago
Is there a way to remove the decorative carved leaves and whiten the fireplace? Or any other ideas on how to modernize this a bit without breaking the bank? Thank you!
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deegw
17 days agolast modified: 17 days agoWhat do you mean by modern? The small decor on the mantle and the fireplace screen don't look modern to me. Will you share a wider view of the space?
You could hire a finish carpenter to build a surround over the parts you don't like.
stoolis
17 days agoMaybe modern is not the right word. The fireplace decor is going away as is the hanging above it. trying to make it look less frumpy. Thanks!
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Please help me! Need to rip out and start over!
Comments (12)I can't believe he has that much information either. He's the Lawn Whisperer. If you're really going to do Option 3, I would suggest watering daily after the first app of RoundUp. That will germinate any seeds in the grass. Then the next app of RU will take those new seedlings out. If you have full sun, you can use Kentucky bluegrass. If you have some shade you can mix fescue varieties in with the KBG seed. Fescues need to be overseeded annually in the fall. That's the main reason I asked about shade. After the second app of RU, then tend to the leveling. Give the RU a day to be sure it worked and then get after the leveling. Have you searched this forum for topics on leveling? It is very easy to do wrong, so do some research. As a start, NEVER ROTOTILL to prepare for grass. That is the biggest mistake people make. All of the leveling topics were for bermuda, but if you are using RU, the process would be the same. In a nutshell you scalp or kill off the grass, apply just enough sand to fill the holes and low spots, drag a drag over top to smooth it out, water it to settle the sand, add more sand if/where needed, drag, water, add, drag, water, etc., until you are happy with it. You can make it putting green smooth like this. After you seed, roll the seed down with a water fillable roller to ensure it makes good contact with the soil. Then you do not need to cover it with anything, but many landscapers do. Certainly if you do not roll it, then you will need something. It's just easier to roll it down. If the area is small, just walk over it all to press the seed into the soil. Here is a picture of a drag mat. It looks a lot like a chain link fence. I personally use...chain link fence. My fence was not heavy enough so I put some boards on top and a bag of topsoil. Your mileage will vary. This leaves an excellent surface, though. Drag from the lowest area to the highest area for proper drainage. The drag will not move much soil, but no sense fighting against what you're trying to do. Can you post a picture of the lawn so we can see what leveling issues you might be dealing with?...See MoreHelp PLEASE! I started lasagna, do I need to start over?
Comments (6)Not to worry Mari. As others have said tilling is not necessarily needed. My tiller was never effective in this rocky, hard clay and usually just bounced all over creation so I stopped trying. I've been doing exactly what you did for the last two years with great results. I'm slowly reclaiming what I thought were impossible areas just by putting down a couple of layers of cardboard right overtop of thriving weeds and making sure it overlaps properly to prevent sunlight from penetrating. Then I cover that with a thick layer of mulch/dirt, etc... (heck, sometimes I don't even mulch if it's an area that isn't easily visible and won't be an eyesore. If there are already established plants in the area I just cardboard around them and pull whatever weeds may reach out around their bases. Otherwise I just wait until the weeds are dead before planting new things. Even if a few stray weeds or runners find a way through it's much easier to eliminate those few once all the rest are dead. I had an area that was completely taken over by wild blackberry vines taller than me. They spread 15 feet closer to the house in just one season! So I whacked everything to the ground and then blanketed with the cardboard in the summer and everything underneath is dead now(yay!) I have yet to find a chemical brush or weed killer that actually does what it's supposed to and kill the root of the annoying weed grasses, thorny vines, etc... This takes a little longer but will not waste your money or time like spraying. I also just borrowed a large rubber liner from a relative and I'm going to use that to try and retake my gravel driveway and parking area one section at a time. I have heard this "solarization" is not always recommended for areas where you intend to plant though because the heat will also kill the beneficial microbes & organisms that are in that soil. Weeds in gravel are an awful pain. I look forward to a day when we can afford to blacktop it. Sincerely, Danielle...See MoreCan I rip out shower tiles that are 9 months old?
Comments (5)"Maybe" is the best answer I can afford. Way back when I tried doing that just to see what would happen if I ever had to remove tile from Kerdi. Sometimes the tile would separate off the Kerdi, leaving a bit of thinset on the Kerdi but without damaging the Kerdi. The thinset could then be "powdered away" to get down to Kerdi while keeping the membrane intact. Other times the thinset would adhere to the tile, and the spun orange coating on the Kerdi would stick to the thinset, causing the orange fleece to actually separate from the polyethylene core of the Kerdi. It wasn't easy to get the Kerdi to delaminate like that as I really had to yank, pull, and pry to do that, and I was surprised the poly core never tore. In either case I never had a tear in the polyethylene sheet itself. I did it with both unmodified and lightly modified thinset. I was just messing around checking out bond strengths, etc. So it can be done, you just need to be careful doing it though. A while ago someone (Ladycfp?) had a Kerdi shower that had the glass surround improperly installed in the curb. The glass was flawed and had to be removed. The glass guy trashed the curb when removing the glass, and when the glass was reinstalled the curb leaked. Long story long, she had to have her whole shower floor (Kerdi) and bathroom floor (Ditra) redone. They were able to pull tile off the Kerdi, repair the Kerdi, then retile....See MoreBacksplash...I have to start over and I'm bummed out!!
Comments (18)I'm with Pixe1: I have been in backsplash limbo for almost eight years if you count the original kitchen I couldn't figure out a backsplash for. We have been in this house for over five years, and completed the kitchen before we moved in....and I just got a backsplash (we grouted today and I Love it)!! I say this not as an ordinary human who would be fine with the four inch formica we all grew up with, but a full on Kitchen Forum TKO who couldn't find just the right thing to pass my own personal Sweeby test. So, even though you COULD move in without a splash, and it wouldn't be a big deal, if you have FOUND your tile you oughta just get it. Or wait a few weeks and see what else is out there, and then if there is nothing you love..Get it. Really. Just get it....See MoreKendrah
17 days agoWhat do you mean by modern? It can mean 10 different things. Perhaps you can say more. Do you mean Mid Century Modern?
I certainly think there are ways to have a modern space with a more traditional fireplace. I'd first start by removing the ornate scrolling iron grate.
Hudson BrownstoneHoboken | Eclectic Modern | Interior Design and Renovation| Hud · More Info
Brooklyn Brownstone · More Info
SouthEnd RowHome Living · More Info
Cobble Hill Italianate, No. 2 · More Info
Fort Greene Brownstone Renovation · More Info
Boxerpal
17 days agowhy do you want to change it?
what is it that you don't like?
Do you have any other photos of your space?
What is your budget?
Is it made of limestone?
If money is an issue and depending on your style you could paint it a funky fun color and keep it as is.
If you have a big budget you could hire someone to remove it, chimney and all. That could be around $12,000 but more depending on where you are located and how big your chimney may be.
Or have someone build a new frame and mantle maybe that would cost aprox $4000
Or embrace it, Here are some similar fireplaces that look lovely in the space.
fireplace relaxation · More Info
White French Marble Fireplace · More Info
White Floral Design Marble Fireplace · More Info
Pleione House- A New Georgian Classic · More Info
French Inspired Inner City Apartment · More Info
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
17 days agoInstead of that over the top ornamental screen, you can purchase an inexpensive metal screen that is mounted inside the hearth opening so it's not a distraction.
Inste
HU-187528210
17 days agosherry52
17 days ago
PRODiana Bier Interiors, LLC
16 days agostoolis
16 days agoHellogardener
16 days agoKendrah
16 days ago
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