They say the hearth is the heart of the home. Mine, however, was more like an awkwardly placed appendix—there, but not exactly doing anything exciting.
Tired of ignoring its bland tile and uninspired mantel, I finally mustered up the courage to give it the facelift it so desperately needed.

Renovating your fireplace might sound like one of those Pinterest pipe dreams, but trust me—it’s totally doable, even if you’ve never used a tile saw in your life (or if you have, but you use it mostly to cut cookies… or, you know, random craft projects). My own fireplace was the perfect example of “meh”—it had a plain white drywall mantel that did absolutely nothing to make it stand out. If your fireplace is similarly lacking and you’re ready for a focal point that demands attention, read on. This is the story of our transformation from dull to dazzling, with all the dirt, dust, and dramatic improvements in between.

1. The “Before” Zone: Where Fire Went to Die

Before we tear into tile and spackle ourselves silly, let's set the mood. You know how you walk into someone’s living room and sometimes the fireplace just screams cozy hygge vibes? Well, mine was more like a timid whisper. It wasn’t ugly, exactly—it just existed. Bland tile, white mantel, zero personality. You could have easily missed it if you weren’t specifically looking for a heat source.

2. Demo Day: Turn Off All the Things

Step one in any fireplace reno? Safety first. This is where you turn off the gas line (it’s often a small, red handle underneath the fireplace), as well as the electricity from your breaker box. Yes, your gas fireplace likely has power running to it for the starter—who knew? Next, take the glass front off the fireplace, give it a good cleaning, and store it somewhere safe. (No judgment if that safe place ends up being the top of your fridge.)

A bonus part of my fireplace makeover was spray-painting the fireplace trim. (Try it, it’s easy!) A fresh coat of high-heat paint can make that old trim look brand-new. Just be sure to tape off anything you don’t want painted, because overspray is a real life-ruiner.

3. Backer Board BFFs

You can’t just put new tile onto a bunch of crumbled drywall and call it a day—at least not if you want the tile to actually stay on the wall. After carefully removing every last speck of old tile and cleaning up the (gigantic) mess, we added three pieces of new backer board onto the remaining studs. We cut them to size (measure twice, cut once… or in my case, measure thrice to be sure) and screwed them into place.

To get a nice, crisp edge along the outer perimeter, we used a Schluter edge trim piece. Think of it as a finishing strip that frames your tile for a polished look. But fair warning: This trim piece has to go on before you start tiling because the tile edge fits under it. Skip that step, and you’ll be left with ragged tile edges that look like the walls are sprouting ceramic teeth.

4. Tiling Time: Let the Transformation Begin

Then, the real fun began: Tiling. I chose 12x24 matte black tiles that feature a subtle caramel color running through them—perfect for tying in my sofa and pulling the room together. You can, of course, choose any tile that speaks to your design soul. But might I say, black tile is a modern upgrade to our older home.

Start at the bottom so each new row can rest on the one below.
Begin with a full tile in the center of the fireplace and work outward. It just looks symmetrical and professional—something about that perfect center alignment tricks the eye into believing you know exactly what you’re doing (fake it till you make it, folks).

When we reached the center area above the firebox (where there’s nothing underneath to hold up the tile), we MacGyvered a solution: a piece of scrap wood anchored to the firebox, gently supporting that middle tile until it dried. Shout-out to my parents who helped prop up the entire situation, proving that family support sometimes extends to literal support boards.

We finished up the top section the same way, continuing to start in the middle and alternate out. Once everything was in place, we used black grout and black caulk for a seamless, edgy vibe. Nothing feels quite as satisfying as wiping that final coat of grout haze off and seeing your new tile gleam.

5. Mantel Makeover: From Vanilla to Va-Va-Voom

Next up was tackling that oh-so-lackluster mantel. Instead of ripping the old one out (who wants to invite more drywall dust into their life?), I just wrapped it with stained wood. Think of it as giving your mantel a fancy wooden coat. I used Varathane stain in Carrington, a stain I’ve grown unhealthily attached to while renovating this house. A few well-placed pin nails later, my mantel was magically transformed from plain drywall into something that looks like it belongs in a posh ski lodge. (Or at least that’s what I tell myself when I stare at it lovingly.)

6. The Great Log Swap

One of my favorite discoveries of this whole project? You can swap out those fake logs that come standard in most builder-grade gas fireplaces. (Mind. Blown.) I found gorgeous white birch-style logs on Amazon that pop against the black backdrop. Before I arranged them, I vacuumed the firebox, cleared away the debris, and cleaned out the gas holes. Then, I toyed with different log layouts until I found one that created a tall, dramatic flame. If you’re spending time and money on a fireplace facelift, these new logs will absolutely seal the deal. They even look pretty when the fire’s off!

7. The Grand Reveal: Your Living Room’s New MVP

Drumroll, please. Once the dust settled (both literally and figuratively), the fireplace looked phenomenal. Where once stood a dull, unimpressive fixture, now stands a sleek, black-tiled masterpiece that ties in perfectly with the rest of the room. The fresh mantel wrap, matte tile, and white birch logs come together to create a showstopper worthy of many a Netflix binge night—or, you know, quiet evenings sipping cocoa and pretending you’re in a winter chalet.

Final Thoughts

So, if your fireplace is more like a reluctant afterthought than a cozy statement piece, don’t be intimidated. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, you might end up with mortar in your hair or accidentally break a tile or two (or four). But in the end, you’ll have a fireplace that not only warms your home but also makes everyone ooh and ahh when they walk in. Because there’s something undeniably satisfying about turning an eyesore into the heart of a room, especially when you get to say, “Yep, I did that with my own two hands.”

Now go forth and set your space on fire—metaphorically speaking. And remember: turn off the gas, secure the electricity, and keep that vacuum handy. Your future self (and your new, stunning fireplace) will thank you.