The Fireplace Project - Pebbling the Hearth

My goal is to get this fireplace project DONE before our Memorial Day weekend festivities begin, so this week I'm focused on the hearth.

Last week I chiseled out all the dumb tile, so the first step was to clean the area and get it ready for what's coming next. I've been to all the big box stores in my area for tile and decided on this pebble tile from Floor & Decor.
Pebble Tile
I went with the pebble tile because of the millwork that I decided not to remove. The old tile went below it, and I wasn't able to get it cleared out enough to squeeze the new tile in its place. And I'm not renting a tile cutter -- seems like a high level of difficulty. With the pebble tile, I can cut out the pebbles around the area then use the grout to clean up the edges. Voila!

The Tricky Millwork With a Piece of Sample Tile
So, in one day, I got the mortar down and laid the pebbles. It was tricky to get the sheets close together and there are definitely some larger-than-desired spaces, but I'm pleased as punch with how well it went down. The Floor & Decor guy suggested I seal the pebbles before grouting, so that shined them up very nicely.

The Pebbles Just After Sealing
Later today I will be grouting (first time for that) with a grey color. Then it's just cleaning up and replacing the floor molding to officially check this project off my to-do list.

More to come ...


Related Posts:
Fireplace before photos
Hearth demo day details
All the Fireplace Project posts

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