Dear Rob:
I’ve read about a lot of different ways to use tile on your site, but not much about my latest project. I’d like to use tile to give my old brick fireplace a new look. Do you have any tips before I get started?
-Jeff in Ohio
Dear Jeff:
You can use tile in many different ways throughout your home, and you can choose from many types of tile to finish a fireplace.
Since you’re working with an existing fireplace, you are a little more limited as far as how much tile and what size tile you are able to use. If you are beginning from the design phase, you have many more options and ways to use tile.
The most common way to use tile on a fireplace is to install it on the fireplace surround. This is the area directly surrounding the fireplace box below the mantle. Most commonly, the tile is installed with 12 inches showing around the edges. The tiles typically used are 12×12 ceramic or porcelain tiles, 12×12 natural stone tiles such as marble, granite, or slate, and several rows of 4×4 tiles or mosaic tiles.
If the area extends more than 12 inches, choose a tile size that fills the space with as few cuts as possible. Other common tile sizes include 13×13, 16×16, 18×18, 20×20, and 24×24.
If the fireplace has a hearth, you can tile that area as well. Some hearths sit flush with the adjacent floor and help protect it from sparks from a wood-burning fireplace. Other hearths rise like a box and provide a place to sit. You can cover the face and seat with tile, or use another material. Many homeowners choose a stone slab for the seat instead of individual tiles.
You can also install tile above the mantle. Choose the height based on the look you want. Extending the tile all the way to the ceiling can make the fireplace appear taller and more dramatic.
Tile
Tile can also be used when you have a corner fireplace. Using a porcelain or glass tile is a good choice because the tiles are the same color throughout. This makes the corner and edge transitions look as natural as possible.
Homeowners most commonly use straight, diagonal, staggered, or brick-joint tile patterns around a fireplace. There is generally not enough room in the area around a fireplace to install a very detailed pattern.
If you are about to install tile on a fireplace, be sure to consider the amount of space you have to tile and how many full pieces you can get in that space. Doing this beforehand will make it easier to shop for the right tile. There is nothing worse than falling in love with a piece of tile for the fireplace and then measuring the space only to find out that you will end up with one full piece and a small cut piece. It is acceptable to have cut pieces, but small cut pieces next to one full tile can look awkward, distracting, and unplanned. It is much easier to know your options before you begin looking for the perfect tile.
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