What to do with the eye-wateringly ugly fireplace?

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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What to do with the eye-wateringly ugly fireplace?

Mindy JensenPro Member
BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes

This is my fireplace. The mortar is dark grey, the rocks are called Moss Rock (I think) and the whole room is dark because of this space. The wood has to go, my husband HATES these rocks and wants to rip them out. I think that's a bit much, but we are stumped as to how to make them look better.

Any suggestions?

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BiggerPockets
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Ryan Riches
Real Estate Broker · Denver, CO · Member since 2018 · 87 posts · 66 votes
5y

Are the rocks a structural chimney or just a cosmetic addition? It it's a full chimney then I would imagine it would be incredibly expensive to rip out. Some friends of mine ripped rock off their fireplace and replaced with shiplap an it looks great. 

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  • Charlie MacPherson
    China, ME · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen  I can't tell if the rocks are dark because that's their natural color, or if it's decades of fireplace smoke.  The color appears uniform, so I suspect the former.

    You might consider sandblasting and going over the existing mortar with a lighter shade of new mortar.  Maybe test first by using sandpaper on a small, inconspicuous part.

    You could paint over the rocks too, but that's not my favorite choice as it adds a maintenance item.  There's always the nuclear option - demo and rebuild with a completely different style.

    0Reply
  • Brady Richard
    Brusly, LA · Member since 2017 · 44 posts · 36 votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen I have an idea, but would like to see a little more before I say. It appears the rleft side terminates at a corner, whats on the right side? Can you post another photo that is zoomed out a little more?

    0Reply
  • Charolette Hamilton
    Member since 2020 · 1 post · 1 vote
    5y

    I would like to see the other side of the fireplace as well but that looks like smoke discoloration and not the natural color of the rocks. I think Charlie may be correct before removing all the rocks try having them cleaned and see how that affects the room. I reserve the rest of my thoughts until I can see the whole fireplace.

    1Reply
  • Alvin Sylvain
    Los Angeles · Member since 2018 · 464 posts · 471 votes
    5y

    I don't believe there is anything you can do that would be worth the effort. To me, it is no where near "eye-wateringly ugly". Not my first choice for looks to be sure, but not all that bad.

    I guess the important question is, is this your personal home, a rental or a flip? If it's a rental, remember you don't have to live there, and somebody else might love it. If it's a flip, tear out the whole thing as part of your rehab expenses. If it's your personal home, why are you asking on BP?

    2Reply
  • Ryan Riches
    Real Estate Broker · Denver, CO · Member since 2018 · 87 posts · 66 votes
    5y

    Are the rocks a structural chimney or just a cosmetic addition? It it's a full chimney then I would imagine it would be incredibly expensive to rip out. Some friends of mine ripped rock off their fireplace and replaced with shiplap an it looks great. 

    4Reply
  • Jeremiah GoodpasterPro Member
    Member since 2020 · 28 posts · 15 votes
    5y

    @mindy jensen  we had on even uglier than that and it took up a whole wall. We furred it out and drywalled and paint it came out great.

    2Reply
  • Steve K.
    Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    5y

    Making that wall white and replacing the mantle with a chunky, barn-wood or similar style mantle would help a lot. Better lighting might also help, such as adding spot lights on the ceiling that light up the area. As you know moss rock is very common here, especially in the close-in mountain properties where you see it in almost every one. Very popular in the 50's-60's-70's, and still popular today it is a premium product that many people find desirable because it adds a nice natural focal point in the room. I see traces of the moss on your rocks, but it appears to be dead/dying. Originally the moss/lichen would have been a light shade of green.

     I definitely discourage trying to paint it. First of all you'd need to do a lot of prep work removing all the moss and lichen, which can't be replaced once you scrape it off. Then once it's painted you'll be forever committed to a an unnatural-looking rock wall with peeling paint, as paint doesn't stick well at all to porous surfaces. Personally I wouldn't touch it except maybe cleaning the soot off the grout lines. It will look a lot better contrasted against a white wall and with a cooler looking mantle, perhaps with better lighting. 

    2Reply
  • Jeremiah GoodpasterPro Member
    Member since 2020 · 28 posts · 15 votes
    5y

    Here is a before and after. Cost was minimal and worth it.

    1Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen I really don't mind the stone itself. If you were to pay to have real stone installed today, that would be a fairly expensive job. I would just redo the wood portion. Use reclaimed wood to give it a historic look. 

    Fireplace styles come and go. You can rip it all out and whatever you put in it's place will be dated in 15 years. I wouldn't spend the money, since what you have is classic for that part of the country. 

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen

    Remove stone, repair wall so fireplace is symmetrical. Recover with tile. It’ll look like crap asymmetrical no matter what you do.

    0Reply
  • Thomas Weidner
    Whitehouse, TX · Member since 2017 · 159 posts · 61 votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen I would look into if you could skim coat over the rock and mortar to make a flat surface. Then I would find either a brick or stone veneer to cover the old stone. I would also leave the mantle but fill in the wood with what ever you choose to do the fire place in. I also like the ship lap idea that was in another comment if you like the wood look.

    0Reply
  • Sean McKennaPro Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · Goffstown, NH · Member since 2019 · 80 posts · 59 votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen

    Gut it and start over. You will be much happier. It is a small enough area that it wouldn’t be terribly expensive.

    0Reply
  • Mindy JensenPro Member
    OP
    BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Alvin Sylvain:

    I don't believe there is anything you can do that would be worth the effort. To me, it is no where near "eye-wateringly ugly". Not my first choice for looks to be sure, but not all that bad.

    I guess the important question is, is this your personal home, a rental or a flip? If it's a rental, remember you don't have to live there, and somebody else might love it. If it's a flip, tear out the whole thing as part of your rehab expenses. If it's your personal home, why are you asking on BP?

    It's my personal home that I'm flipping (live-in flip) so I want it to be appealing to the masses when we go to sell.

    [email protected]Podcast Guest on Show #261
    BiggerPockets
    0Reply
  • Alicia Herring
    Investor · Glenwood Springs, CO · Member since 2018 · 8 posts · 2 votes
    5y

    Clients here in the Aspen valley of Colorado tend to like natural stone. I would clean the stone and keep it as is. Then, I would paint the wood paneling and the mantel light gray to modernize the space.  Although it's not your husband's taste, the cost of removing or covering that stone is just not worth it in my experience.  When you go to sell, stage the fireplace with a modern canvas placed on the mantel. It will look beautiful!

    2Reply
  • Forrest Williams
    Real Estate Agent · Chicagoland · Member since 2018 · 314 posts · 199 votes
    5y

    My mom lives in Basalt, and has a very similar fireplace. The stone would be a lot of work to remove, but a cheaper alternative would be to put fence pickets sprayed with a dark stain and cut to size over the wood. You can get a modern look for cheap that way. Here's an example I did in a house I flipped. People loved it. I would also consider re-staining the mantle to a darker finish, a walnut or something.

    1Reply
  • Jill F.
    Investor · Akron, OH · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y
    That's pretty ugly but it really wouldn't be near as bad if they hadn't used that dark battleship grey mortar/grout. Could you put up a picture that has the whole wall in view?
    0Reply
  • Emeline Hunter
    Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2020 · 9 posts · 6 votes
    5y

    What if you try this? And consider painting the wood, depending on how far it extends? 

    1Reply
  • Jason Varley
    Investor · Portugal · Member since 2020 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen My wife and I had a similar dilema when rehabbing a condo for her parents. We removed the stacked slate and paneling ourselves and covered the fireplace opening. The whole wall was retextured to match the rest of the room. Not only did it lighten up the room tremendously, but it also added much needed space because the area in front of the wall became more versatile without the fireplace.

    A sledgehammer and safety glasses were all it took!

    0Reply
  • Marian Smith
    Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen What about lime wash for the stone and paint the wood. If you still dislike it, it isn't too hard to knock out the "breast" of a fireplace as the mortar should be pretty soft...but then you need to replace it with something. My husband knocked out a brick fireplace in hours. Then he used metal studs to build a frame to attach cement board for tile and that part was a pita. We really like the look much better but we did the demo to remediate termite damage to a header on a load bearing wall...so not an aesthetic choice.

    1Reply
  • Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    5y

    @Mindy Jensen

    The picture does not do justice to how overpowering present and dark the stone actually is -- this was one of the first things I thought about when you did the first video of the new house on your YouTube channel.

    I would just leave it. It's a bold decorating choice. It appealed to someone. It will appeal to someone else eventually, and the work that you'll have to put in to remediate an otherwise perfectly serviceable fireplace doesn't seen worth it once you take the matter of personal taste out of consideration.

    1Reply
  • Teresa Ranieri
    Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 3 votes
    5y

    Over-grouted stone fireplaces are very on-trend right now and a really budget-friendly way to update a fireplace.  I'd try plastering it with a "German Schmear", filling those deep gaps with a light colored plaster and applying it to the front of the stone (which should lighten them significantly).  Here's an example of how this technique transformed another fireplace - https://stylebyemilyhenderson.... 

    Once that's done, see how the new fireplace plays with the wood wall. It may work better or you may want to sand/stain/paint the wood a different color to coordinate better with it's surroundings (it's hard to tell from the photo). 

    Then throw some giant, oversized artwork on that mantle and you'll probably be really happy with the end result (without spending a fortune ripping anything out).

    0Reply
  • Vanessa Ursery
    Realtor · Corpus Christi · Member since 2019 · 39 posts · 10 votes
    5y

    White wash the rocks and paint the wood white...modern, cheap and will look SOOO much better.

    0Reply
  • Bill Veight
    Member since 2020 · 4 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    i think re-doing the wood panels would really do a lot with making that section look way better and brighter! that stone doesnt look that bad. mainly just the wood looks bad. or like others have mentioned.. you could do a shiplap job on that whole wall!

    0Reply
  • Melani Morris
    Member since 2020 · 3 posts · 1 vote
    5y

    I second lime washing the stone.  I love stone, but limewashing, not painting or whitewashing, will preserve slight color variations.  Paint the wood white.

    0Reply
  • Jordan Smith
    Member since 2017 · 1 post · 0 votes
    5y

    Limewash is a great option that’s cheap and easy to remove if you don’t like it. Romabio is the go to brand for this. Home Depot has different seizes you can order. 

    0Reply
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