Fireplace Remodel Ideas Using Peel And Stick Tile

Fireplace Remodel Ideas Using Peel And Stick Tiles

 

Why I waited so long to give my old fireplace it’s much needed makeover is beyond me. But in my defense, I am so indecisive. So so so so so indecisive. How I managed to decide on three names for my children is amazing in itself.

It wasn’t that I absolutely hated the hunter green fireplace surround that was there when we moved in, but it was more of a distraction to me. It was the first thing that my eye went to in our living room.

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I had so many ideas with this fireplace but I just couldn’t put my finger on what I wanted to do. Did I want to just slap some paint on the existing tile and call it a day? Did I want to hire someone to come bust it out and replace it with real marble? Did I want to attempt that myself? (That was a big fat no). Did I want to turn it into a stone fireplace? Did I want to try to stencil over it?

Did I want a modern look? Did I want a traditional look? Did I want a contemporary look?

And then I found it….exactly what I needed…

 

Heat resistant peel and stick tile!!!

Let me repeat myself…Heat resistant peel and stick tile. The word “heat resistant” in the description is what got my heart beating happy beats and was the best part of this whole makeover. I have looked at peel and stick tiles before for this project but worried the backing would melt like sliced cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich on my tile surround. But heat resistant got me all giddy. I knew this was going to be the easiest way for me to transform my fireplace.

I hit “add to cart” and the rest was history

But first, a before. This was a picture I found on my phone shortly after we moved in.

 

And now, the after

 

 

It’s amazing what some paint and stickers can do to a room, am I right?

 

I love when good ideas and DIY projects go my way.

DIY Fireplace Makeover: How to makeover your outdated fireplace on a budget

 

How To Apply Peel And Stick Tiles On Fireplace

Disclaimer…

I am not a professional. I have no idea if these heat resistant tiles will actually not melt like cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich either. Our fireplace is a gas fireplace and the flames are pretty controlled and we keep the glass door shut when the fire is burning. We also use our fireplace maybe three times a year. But the next time we use the fireplace, I will be sitting beside it with a fire extinguisher…and then I will come back and report what happened. That’s what good bloggers do..

Can peel and stick tiles be used on a fireplace??

**UPDATE!! Good news… I am so happy to let you know that we have had plenty of fires in our fireplace and so far, so good! The tiles did get warm but they are still stuck on my fireplace with no damage to the tiles.

****

I have purchased a sample of another brand of peel and stick tiles for our backsplash years ago and while it was pretty, it was definitely more flimsy than what I used on our fireplace. This stuff is pretty strong and thick.

With that comes consequences though…it was a little bit more challenging to cut than I had hoped for and the herringbone pattern was a bit tricky. But man it was worth it.

Here are some of my pointers if you ever decide to use these tiles. Remember they are literally just heavy duty stickers.

(Some of these pictures were taken quickly with my iphone as I was attempting this project so some shots aren’t the best quality.)

Here’s what the tiles look like straight out of the pack. There is a YouTube video somewhere showing how to install these but it wasn’t the most helpful.

 

 

–Clean your surface well before you apply them.

I just used soap and water but if I were a good DIYer I would have used TSP instead.

-Find yourself a good pair of scissors.

I actually used my fabric scissors since they are sharper but for this project a brand new pair would work. A strong razor or box cutter just wasn’t working for me. The razor was fraying the edges where I would cut no matter what side I tried to cut on. Maybe it was operator error but regardless, scissors will be your best friend.

Here is what the razor did to my tiles

 

I recently helped out a friend with her fireplace using these exact tiles and I used a heavy duty paper cutter and it was such a better idea than scissors.

-A level and cutting mat might help

Like I said, the herringbone pattern was a bit tricky to get lined up and nothing was level on our fireplace. Well, at least that is what I kept telling myself. I used a dry erase marker to make a line where I needed to cut along. After I made my cut, I would immediately wipe off the marker. You might need to use some elbow grease. I would test an area first, though. One dry erase marker was more stubborn than another one.

Yes, you can also draw your line on the back of the tile and in hindsight I should have done that but this was my first rodeo.

Another easy way to cut your tiles is to use a paper cutter. I actually used a paper cutter when I was helping a friend with her fireplace and it was so much easier than scissors.

-It will not be perfect

Just know this. I am not a professional and I have never done anything like this before. If you get up close and personal you will see mistakes. And because things were not level on my mantel and because I am sure I was doing something wrong, I had to add some trim to my mantel to cover up some mistakes. And some mistakes were bigger than others (oopsie daises)

 

You can also use some caulk as you would with real tile but I needed more than just caulk. I cut my trim to size and then used wood glue to adhere it to the mantel.

You can also use some caulk as you would with real tile but I needed more than just caulk. I cut my trim to size and then used wood glue to adhere it to the mantel.

It’s like magic

This project was worth it. Is is perfect? Not at all. Is it better than it was before? 100% yes…and that is all I care about. Will these tiles stay up forever? I am not sure but we’ll find out.

A beautiful fireplace shouldn’t cost you a lot of money….it just takes one great idea….and I really think I gave this fireplace a new life with this update.

 

 

(I also painted the floor tile to look like marble. You can read about that post here)

Fireplace Mantel Decor

 

I am just as excited with the decor on my mantel as I am with the rest of the fireplace. I have struggled with this mantel for a long time and since the day we moved in for many reasons. I think the original green tile was distracting me from loving anything I put up on the mantel. Once I covered the original tile, I knew exactly what I wanted as my fireplace design. I wanted neutral colors with pops of black.

I’m trying to embrace the less is more movement in my home decor. One large statement mirror and two sconces is all I really needed. I also gave the mantel a fresh coat of white paint to clean it up a bit.

 

Mirror//Sconces

The mirror is amazing. It’s huge and so affordable. The frame is rubber which might sound odd but it reality, it’s genius. Because of this, the mirror is not heavy and the rubber prevents it from slipping on my mantel.

 

I do plan on hanging the mirror soon on my mantel but I need reinforcements..aka my dad. Two short Italians are better than one when it comes to hanging big objects.

The sconces might be my most favorite thing on my mantel though. Why, oh why, did I wait so long to add them to my mantel?? They are not hardwired into my wall. I just used the magic light trick I learned from Nesting With Grace.  I did something similar to the sconces in my hallway. This time though, I had to use flameless candles. The puck lights were too big to sit flat in the light.

I currently have these candles in my lights but plan on switching them out with these rechargeable ones. We fly through batteries in this house to begin with. No need to add to the problem with my home decor.

I also added in some warm wood tones and gold to warm up the space for fall but I didn’t need to go crazy.

 

For the first time since we moved in, this fireplace looks exactly like I had thought it would once I got my hands on it. Sometimes you just need to start. And once I started I couldn’t stop until it was done. And now I sit on my couch in my family room and just stare at my fireplace.

Oh you want one more before and after?

OK, fine twist my arm

 

I mean, come on!!

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Fireplace Remodel Using Peel And Stick Tiles

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