apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think it would be worth the expense to re-tile it. It's a beautiful mantle and I think stainless steel would take away from the traditional look of it. If you paint over the tile it's just going to look like you painted over crappy broken tile.

I admire it's kitch factor.

A friend of mine had bought a house with a brick fireplace that was painted white. She bought brick red paint and painted the whole thing... then outlined the mortar in black paint. It looks really nice.

Hm, yes, that concrete fix in the front there is really unfortunate. I'd skip the idea of painting because of it. I think a contrast with the traditional look of your fireplace could be quite interesting. You could try some metal sheeting (the kind you can buy in rolls quite cheaply) and cut it to fit. We used this on an entire wall in our last kitchen and really loved the effect. Otherwise, I would go the re-tile route. Or, perhaps you could stack a big pile of wood on top of the unfortunate part and forget about it!

Two of my non-working fireplaces have that same small tile and all of them were painted over with white paint. They also have cracks and concrete patches but painting them disguises it. I caulked all the cracks and repainted with a brighter white. I like it. This might sound hypocritical but because it's old, I don't think it should be replaced even if it's painted over. Painting it stills keeps the charm and later if someone wants it back original they can strip it. Putting in new tiles will modernize it and take away from the charm.

http://flickr.com/photos/lorie09/1199597862/
http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=511230303&size=l (this one really shows the cracks and patches)

oh, i LOVE that tile!

i like how its all old and cracked...it looks like it could tell some stories. since you mention stainless, i'd imagine you're of the modern set...check out some modern apartments or warehouse spaces...you might notice that many of them feature fixtures, pipes, floors, and such that have an amazing worn-in patina...they give your modern decor a bit of edge and a bit of warmth. i know you hate it, but from the photos it looks like there's nothing else in the space. i think you might be surprised how it might blend in once you have other things working against or with it...

it doesnt look "key-lime" to me...it actually looks like a wonderful washed-out turquoise, which goes so well with many 'modern' colors: stainless, hardwood, ebony, stark white, etc...

really, i think its lovely...

Two suggestions:

1. Cover the horizontal tile with a pile of floor cushions, which can be used as extra seating for guests. Then get a sheet of thin corkboard, cut it to perfectly fit over the vertical tiles (it's springy, so you should be able to jam it into place), then cover the corkboard with photos, split bamboo matting, decorative fabric, or whatever takes your fancy.

or

2. Get over it. If you want a sleek, contemporary interior, then move. It's the quirky, the beat-up and the not quite tasteful that give old houses their charm and personality. Instead of hating your oddball cracked turquoise tiles, reflect on how much worse it'd be to live in some dull soulless modern box.

Re-tile.
It's not that expensive since you're doing such a small area and besides: you have to live there for who knows how long; you have the opportunity to create something you're proud of. Old camping addage: 'Always leave a place better than you found it'. Do the right thing, Derick.

My suggestion: pick out a tile that is more in keeping with the style of the fireplace and in a depth of colour similar to the floors. Add some class to the place. Put your stamp on it.

Good luck... would love to see a follow-up pic when you're done.

I love the ratty old tourquoise tiles, patches & all -

but then if we all liked the same thing we'd still be standing in that line...

How about a two or three inch border of precut copper to edge & outline the tile on the floor and a thin, 1/2" - 1", copper border around the tile on the fireplace.

This would add a crisp touch, pop the tile color & create a better transition with the floor.

I love the old tile. I totally wish I had that fireplace. What I'd do is get some expert help with cleaning the tile up and fixing the crack so it doesn't stand out. Then I'd put a cover of some nice brushed nickel or similar over the patched section in front.

i love the tile, cracks, cement, everything...what about painting the concrete trompe-l'oeil style with new "tiles" instead of re-tiling? you'd have to look really close to notice and you could use a gloss paint that would nearly replicate it perfectly.

Hey Lorie09 - thanks for the pictures! You've given me the inspiration to paint, as your FP looks quite nice with the crisp, white paint and I'm more comfortable having a better idea of how it might turn out. The metal idea I think would just be too modern for the apartment... and re-tiling is more than I wish to take on.

Cheers,

Derick

Derick,

I have a SF Victorian with a non-functioning gas fireplace that looks similar to yours except our mantle is stained black instead of painted white. I spent hours and hours researching what it would take to make it work again. Bottom line: in our situation it would be seriously prohibitively expensive.

So what we're going to do is...

Keep the mantle but remove the firebox & tile, run electrical and create an entertainment center in that space -- it sounds funkier than it will be, plus its currently big waste of space.

I'm sorry, I love that tile too and the patina it has earned.