Aurora, CO · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
I just have to chime in: don't paint it, don't paint it, don't paint it. I am willing to keep a somewhat open mind though, so I would be fascinated to see a photo of a fireplace like this that has been painted and manages to "look good"
Investor · Wichita Falls, TX · Member since 2014 · 382 posts · 123 votes
10y
I decided to go the refacing route, but upon removing the rock (It was some kind of plaster type rock that was flat on one side,) the sheetrock under it was bad...and upon further demo it was discovered that the surround was just a box of 2X4s! They even just put it over the carpet...so we went all the way and removed it.
After some discussion I decided to remove the whole thing, There was a possibility to move it to the other side of the room where there had been another fireplace or stove, (there is still remnants of a flue in the roof), I decided to just scrap it.
The removal adds approx. 4X8 to the room now and really opens up the kitchen, which was what I wanted originally.
They even just put it over the carpet...so we went all the way and removed it.
Thanks for posting back with how it worked out! It helps everybody calibrate their advice to the next person.
I'm not sure that installing it over the carpet like that was even legal (building code), but there you go. It looks like pulling it out exposed some more bad drywall over to the right side of where the fireplace was... or is that just dirt?
You might check with a roofer about removing both flues/chimneys completely and patching the roof. Fewer holes in roof = fewer opportunities for leaks. The shingles might not match exactly, but that may not be such a big deal.
Also, be sure to tell your insurance agent that the fireplace is gone. That will probably help out your rates somewhat.
Rental Property Investor · Providence, RI · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 594 votes
10y
Don't waste money. Accent it. It looks ugly because there is no screen and the mantle looks like it's out of whack. Clean it up, get rid of whatever the thing to the right of the pic is (can't zoom enough), and accent it. You'll save time and money and it gives you time while you rent it to hunk of a more permanent fix if your still
Unhappy.
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
10y
Glad it worked out well!
I had a HUD-repo townhouse back circa. 1990 with a stone fireplace surround. Based on what happened in that place after several hours of a nice, hot fire, I'm guessing it was the same. The house would start to fill with the smell of pine wood burning like with a power saw and also filled with blue smoke. Visible, but it never set off the detectors. Someone may have ignored minimum clearances...
David J Dachtera
"Success is not a destination. Failure is not an event. Success is a process, failure is a choice." - DJ Benedict
Investor · Canton-Akron, OH · Member since 2012 · 917 posts · 477 votes
10y
@Jean Bolger here is a link to rehab where we painted an ugly fake stone fireplace. Don't know that this will be able to fascinate, but gived an idea of what spray painting with a latex paint will do. It looks a lot better and cleaner then before, it was pretty awful, now it's tolerable, the plan was to take a sponge with a bit darker paint co yeast the stone from mortar joints. But ran out of time,,the house sold above list the first weekend, but may not have been because of fireplace.
Western Springs, IL · Member since 2012 · 81 posts · 38 votes
10y
While not exactly the same stone, here is a before/after a rental we just finished. Painted it white and sprayed the Fireplace doors with spray paint designed for high temps. The third photo is another property we redid a couple years ago. The stone ended up being a veneer and came off easily, just had to replace a couple pieces of drywall.
Rental Property Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2014 · 414 posts · 272 votes
10y
I mentioned this thread to my wife, and she had another suggestion based on her experience with a fireplace we once had in a rental: Easy-Off oven cleaner on the stone. She said it worked well.
Southbay, CA · Member since 2015 · 38 posts · 18 votes
10y
Glad to see I'm not in this boat alone. Not sure what to do with this but will try to clean it first and see how that goes. We removed the paneling and just adding the drywall brightens the room...this is real rock and there was a "bar" area in the foyer that we demo'd but this fireplace is a beast.
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
@Mary lou L. Looks great, much better then the paint jobs. I like fireplaces myself but your setup looked awful and I prefer not to have FP in rentals. THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THE FU PICTURES!! There are so many stories told here that don't have an ending, I really like when we get to live through other peoples renovations without having to do the work.