Concrete Fireplace

In Arizona, it's rare to find a house with a fireplace, but it's still on my list of must-haves. I think hearth is the central focus of the home and critical for warmth and coziness.

But this outdated tile fireplace and honey oak mantle wasn't it.

I had big plans for this fireplace but no direction on how to make it happen. This project was fueled purely by intuition.

First, I removed the mantle and tile. I wanted to build a facade that was slightly raised from the wall. I mounted 2x4's on their side to the wall and built the frame for my fireplace.

After framing the facade all the way to the ceiling, I covered it in drywall.

I used Henry FeatherFinish concrete to skim coat the entire thing once the mud was dry. This stuff dries VERY quickly, so I had to work in small batches and spread it on quickly.

It took about 3 coats to achieve the desired look and consistency. I lightly sanded out all streaks and imperfections.

Here's how it looked in the completed space!