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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Operation Hearth Re-Tile - Grouted Goodness!!

Are you ready for some grouted goodness?!?  I sure was…especially after steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 of my hearth re-tile project!! 

Before I could dive in head grout-float first, I had to seal things up.  One of the fantastic supplies The Tile Shop provided me with was Premium Gold Marble & Onyx Sealer. 


I made sure my marble was nice and clean, threw on some chemical-proof gloves, and sealed things up following the instructions on the back of the bottle.  Then I impatiently waited for 2 hours to tick by {the minimum time to pass before you could grout}.  Once time was up, I immediately hopped into the grouting process.

Hubby and I mixed up our grout following these instructions.  We combined the supplied admixture and dry grout in a clean bucket...mixing everything with a mixer bar until the consistency was that of toothpaste.  


The admixture is a latex-fortified liquid that speeds up cure time and helps prevent grout cracks due to shrinkage.  It also helps to maintain grout color consistency.  {I was super happy The Tile Shop recommended this product rather than having me mix the dry powder with just plain water.}


Once the grout was mixed, I let it sit for a few minutes {which is recommended}, and filled a bucket with some clean water and got my sponge and paper towels ready.  Then I got busy with my float. ;)

If I was a smart person and thought about how much of a mess grout can make when combined with wood grain, I would have taped off the wood that trims out the tile of our hearth.  But I was just so excited, and ahem...inexperienced, that unfortunately, that thought didn't occur to me until I grouted the first little patch of the hearth.  Thanks to my big tiling sponge, paper towels and hubby switching out my water bucket when things got a little dirty, the mess was manageable.

After everything was grouted using this method, I wiped the tiles down with a clean sponge to remove any lingering grout that didn't belong on top of the tiles.



Then I let the grout set for 48 hours, gave it another scrub down to make sure there was no grout or haze left, and applied a second round of sealer.  This coat would help to seal and protect the grout lines.

After that it was time to caulk.  Ohhhh caulk...you magical material!  It helped things go from this...


...to this.  MUCH better!



And then it was time to rig our spray painted fireplace screen back into place.  Ideally, hubby and I really, really, reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy wanted to install a gas insert to finish off the fireplace makeover, but after we received a quote...we realized we can't swing the cost of the unit right now.  Thankfully, we already have the gas line in place, so when we have enough saved, that piece of the puzzle is already taken care of.  {We took care of that when we were renovating the entire main floor and had plumbers here working on our two bathrooms.}

So for now, we'll sit back and enjoy the fan-freakin-tastic view we now have of our delicious marble hearth.








I mean seriously...I cannot get enough of this tile.  It looks amazing from any angle, and finally makes our fireplace feel like "us".

I'll leave you with one last before and after...


...and a HUGE thank you to The Tile Shop for making this project possible with their terrific products!  If anyone has a tiling project in their future, you must check out their extensive materials. :)



***Although I was super, duper lucky to get some free tile and materials for this project from The Tile Shop, this is not a sponsored post.  I've always promised to keep it real with you guys, so I wanted to let you guys know how much they rock! :)***

96 comments:

  1. WOW... It's beautiful beautiful beautiful!

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  2. Wow, wow wow. Love! I hear angels sing ;) So pretty and my favorite thing to use on projects in caulk...not kidding LOL!

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    1. Haha, aw thanks, Julia! :) And I can see why...caulk has a wonderful way of finishing things off, doesn't it?!

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  3. WOW! looks amazing! wanna come over and tile my upstairs bathroom? it would be so much fun!

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    1. Thank you!! Of course...I'll be right there, Cassie!! ;)

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  4. You should be proud of yourselves... it looks tip-top! You couldn't have done this any better. Well done!

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    1. Thank you so very much, John! So nice of you to say! :)

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  5. You know I love it! you did a fantastic job!

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  6. Beautiful job! The fireplace looks absolutely amazing :)

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  7. Unbelievable transformation! You must be thrilled. It looks so gorgeous and so custom now!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! I definitely am super thrilled...love it! :)

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  8. SO SO SO AMAZING!!!!! Can I move in? You guys did a great job!

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    1. Aw, thank you!! Surely...we have two guest bedrooms. ;)

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  9. WOW!!!! What a difference!!! It looks amazing, Gabbi!!!

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  10. HOLY COW! This is such an amazing transformation! I love how much lighter and more modern it looks. Amazing job.

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    1. Thank you, Kim!! I'm definitely so much happier at the lighter centerpiece it's become. :)

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  11. Great job Gabbi! It looks awesome! I loooove the hex tile and the overall look of your new fireplace:)

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  12. Looks so great! Isn't it amazing how grout (and caulk) make everything look so beautiful and finished? And nice mantle style, too!

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  13. Wow what a difference!! You did a wonderful job!

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  14. I know I've said this a billion times already, but that. is. GORGEOUS!!! You did a fantastic job and I am so impressed!!

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  15. You guys picked the perfect tile for that fireplace. It really pulls that room together. Congrats!

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  16. WONDERFUL JOB GABBI! It fits you perfectly. i really dont believe this is your first experience with tile. you fibber!

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    1. Aw, thank you Trina! That really means a lot! Haha...I'd never lie to you guys!! :)

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  17. So gorgeous! It turned out absolutely fabulous! I'm in love!

    Come do mine next! ;)

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  18. It looks sooooo pretty!! I love that tile, and what a difference from the before and after!!

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  19. You did an amazing job! It's gorgeous!

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  20. Great tutorial! You picked out a gorgeous tile and it looks wonderful.

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  21. I love this tile!! I have admired it when you put it on Instagram!! Love the way you styled the fireplace! Looks awesome!

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  22. AHMAZING transformation!! That hex marble tile is on my lust list for sure. Great work, you guys!!
    xoxo

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    1. Thank you sooo much! I'm so glad you stopped by...I love your blog! :)

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  23. WOW! So, so beautiful! What an amazing transformation!!

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  24. So I LOVE your style! Stumbled across your blog on Pinterest and spent the better part of a workday reading it (oops)! Keep up the good work, can't wait to see what other projects you have up your sleeve! :-)

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    1. Aw, thank you so much, Kali!! I'm so glad you found me...thanks for stopping by {and sharing your workday with me}! :)

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  25. Great tip on the sealer! I had no idea marble needed to be sealed. I'll just file that on my marble to-do list for the bathroom!

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  26. Awesome job! Love the new look!

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  27. Wow Gabbi! That tile is to die for. Nice job!!

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  28. Seriously, this is so so so so gorgeous! I love the tile you chose. It really is like an entirely different fireplace from the "before" pics! :)

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  29. Yeah! This is ah-mazing. Seriously. I am in love with the whole set up. Great job!

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  30. Hey chick! Just sent you an email... PLEASE contact me if you didn't get it!

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    1. Thanks for reaching out...I would have been so upset if I didn't get it haha.

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  31. Love it, it turned out beyond beautiful! You did an amazing job. I would be drooling too if I had that tile.

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  32. I can't remember if I've already commented but this came out so great! You did such a kick ass job! Pat yourself on the back!!
    xo

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  33. This is GORGEOUS. You guys rocked it. And I love the teal and yellow color combo you have going on!

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  34. Un-freakin-real! What a transformation!!!! You should be so proud!

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  35. Seriously so much better!!! Nice work.

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  36. Love this post. I have an old fireplace that my husband has been trying to convince me to rip the hearth out and put in marble. This may help his case :) I was worried that it would look to "new" in our 1940's home.

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    1. Thank you, Niki!! The great thing about marble is that it's a classic...it's been around for a long time, and it'll be around for so many years to come. It can update a place without being too trendy or decade specific. I say go for it! ;)

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  37. I love this so much! Great job Gabbi! There's an oddly situated fireplace in our new living room and I hate the way it looks, so there's a fireplace project coming in the near future! Thanks for the inspiration and how-tos!

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    1. Thank you so much, Jenn!! Ohhh, you'll have to send me before and afters...good luck with the project! :)

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  38. I'm sure I have commented on this before - but my mom and I are about to tackle this same project since we are FINALLY on our last room of laying the new floors this weekend. Did you do a cost and materials breakdown of this project? If so, I'd love to see it.

    xoxoxoxo

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    1. I didn't do a breakdown like that because I was super lucky and The Tile Shop graciously provided me with everything I needed for the project. I love how your project turned out...you guys did great! :)

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  39. Yeah I love those hex tiles! They are perfect!

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  40. Gabbi, how did I miss this? Your makeover is gorgeous, and those hex tiles totally make the whole thing. Good work!

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  41. I know this is a post on an old entry, but how hard was it to paint the fire place screen and what did you use?
    Second, what is behind the barn door and how hard was it to install the hanging hardware?

    Thanks, great job,I am a fan!

    BEVERLY

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    1. Thanks so much, Beverly! The fireplace screen wasn't hard...just tape off the glass and spray with spray paint! :)

      The barn door covers our coat closet and basement steps. We didn't install the hardware, our contractor did while he was doing a bunch of other work in our home. Hope that helps!

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  42. Um WOW! Just found this post from Michelle's mention and I am SO happy that I clicked over!! It is BEAUTIFUL!!! This is my dream seriously...marble, teal and yellow!! What a great transformation (pinning)

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  43. Hi there!

    For starters, WOWOWOW seriously, your fireplace make-over looks amazing!!!

    I stumbled across this blog because I too have a very dingy old brick fire-place that I'm tired of looking at and have decided to paint it white... so I wanted some inspiration. My hearth is currently tiled with old, dated terracotta tile and I really want to re-tile it and had decided on doing marble too.... not the honeycomb (although yours looks incredible) but something similar... the quatrefoil moroccan lattice pattern. ANYWAY, I'm rambling.

    I have a few concerns regarding the marble and would love your input. How has your marble held up? Did you install the glossy finish or the tumbled? Is it hard to keep clean with the black soot? And lastly, has it scratched or cracked?

    I too would love a gas fireplace but it's not in my budget so I will have to stick with the wood-burning. Thank you, in advance, for any help you can offer me!

    Susan

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    1. Aw, thank you so much, Susan! Our marble has a polished finish, and it's held up well with no scratching or cracking. I can't really speak to what would happen to the grout if you burned wood logs next to it because we don't use our fireplace. We are holding out until we get a gas insert installed...whenever that might be. ;) (We had the gas line run to the fireplace when we were doing our other renovations.)

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  44. After re tile grouted your room is looking so beautiful. You have done a great job. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

    Marble Statue

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  45. Hi Gabbi, you may have already posted this, but I was curious about the name of the tile that you used. Does it have gray and beige in it?

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    1. I think it's the Hampton Carrara Hex Marble Mosaic in 2x2. It may have touches of tan (since it's a natural stone they all vary), but the majority is white and gray...I was very particular because I was trying to stay away from tan tones. Hope that helps!

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