Progress on Fireplace Project

Laying out the tile and some dimensional lumber for the fireplace...

A week or two ago I wrote about a new home renovation project... designing, building and installing a little fireplace. This fireplace will be a relatively simple gel-fuel fireplace which does not require any flue whatsoever.

This project entails upgrading an entire wall of our living room so, as usual, this project is a bit more than my health would like to tackle... but I'm hoping to be successful with this project which entails getting it finished before Christmas.

First, I started working on our primed steel front entry door.  It is a 15-lite door so calling it a 'steel' door can be misleading.  It is a nice door but isn't so nice looking with its factory gray primer.  I've been saying for a few years since I installed this door that I would like to finish it to appear as though it is stained wood.  Since this front entry door is part of this wall sharing the fireplace, I decided to tackle this project as well.

Custom maple and aspen paneling on wall
above the mantle...

Naturally, this faux wood staining project didn't go as planned.  I was not thinking clearly when I bought the materials for this job so there were some conflicts due to mismatched products (I should have known better... but, as I said, I was not thinking clearly... a common issue with my health).  Unfortunately, these conflicts caused a big delay in progress.  Actually, I screwed-up this part of the project so well that I will need to refinish the door again when the weather is warmer!  I can't begin to tell you how upset I was with myself when I managed to make such a serious and stupid mistake!  (I'm so embarrassed by this screw-up that I don't even want to write about the specifics.)

Regardless of this time consuming and frustrating screw-up, I decided to just push on forward.  

Well, the weather still was not cooperating. The next part of the project was to install maple and aspen on the entire wall including a very small adjacent wall.  In order to start on any of the woodworking, I would need to use my table saw.  Ideally, I would prefer to use this big, powerful saw in the yard.  Using it in the house would put sawdust all over the place!  Upon checked the weather forecast for the foreseeable future, I realized that I would just need to figure out a way to use this saw in the house.

The mantle will come up right under this horizontal strip of Aspen...

I ended up draping sheets in our laundry room to contain the sawdust.  I covered the washer and dryer in sheets too.  Since I didn't need to rip any long pieces of lumber, this arrangement worked well. In two slow days (as quickly as my energy level and health would allow), I managed to install this beautiful custom maple and aspen paneling. 

This morning I pulled out the tile we bought for the fireplace and placed it down on the floor in the shape of our future fireplace so I could finalize the specific dimensions of our new fireplace. I added some lumber for dimensions and depth too.  Although, it looks like nothing was accomplished today, I did manage to calculate specific dimensions for the fireplace.  I also put together a more cohesive list of materials.

I really need to get a coat of stain on the walls as well as a coat or two of polyurethane. This custom paneling will be stained with the same stain we have been applying on all our new window and door trim... an English Chestnut. This stain is a medium-bodied stain with a reddish hue. It is sort of like a lighter mahogany or cherry... light enough that grain is still easily seen through the stain. 

This custom paneling, although it is quite a 'traditional-style' architectural detail, pairs well with our craftsman/mission/prairie/bungalow style which we are incorporating into the design of our home as we renovate.

With all this bare maple and aspen lining our wall in the living room which is open to our kitchen, I worry about greasy smoke coating the new wood every time we cook a meal. I'm also a bit worried about dirty little hand-prints from the grandchildren. Staining and sealing needs to happen very soon and quickly before we ruin these beautiful walls!

Little by little, this project is coming along.  If my health holds up, we should get it done in time for a little gel-fuel fire in our new fireplace on Christmas day!