Ron Hazelton

How to Give Your Fireplace Hearth a Beautiful Makeover

HOUSE DOCTOR Transcript

HD012 “Fireplace Tiles” from episode 614

RON:

Well, this is Randy. Hey, Randy, how you doing? Thanks for being on the show with us.

And we were just looking at a photo of his fireplace here. Let me show it to you. It was kind of, what, these are plaster ornamentation around here?

RANDY:

That's correct.

RON:

And what was it you didn't like about this?

RANDY:

Well, it was falling apart, and it was too massive. It was just too big, and it was just ugly. So I decided to change it.

RON:

So you've put some tile on here. You removed the metal and got some oak trim. You've got a much more contemporary look, right?

RANDY:

That's right.

RON:

And now, I guess you're wondering what you're going to do with the hearth down here.

RANDY:

Right. I really don't like this look of it. So I pulled some ceramic tile off my entryway, and I wanted to get your idea of if it would fit here or not.

RON:

You were actually able to take it up without damaging it?

RANDY:

That's right.

RON:

Listen, would you mind grabbing a few pieces of that and bringing them in here so we can kind of take a look at what you're planning?

RANDY:

Sure.

RON:

You know, these are actually Italian. It amazes me that you were able to get these up without damaging them.

Anyway, this is very interesting. Each four tiles forms kind of a circular pattern right here. You see that?

Now, we could cut up these tiles. In other words, I could push these this way and have like a partial pile around the edge or in the middle here. But I think it really would look a bit odd. These look best if we have these four distinct groupings together here.

So let me suggest a couple things to you. One is that we could take a second tile, actually something maybe in this color or this color, and inlay that all around here where we see the hearth showing through.

Or, and I kind of like this a little bit better, we'll actually take some concrete and we'll pour colored concrete in here. Again, we'll pull the colors out of here. What I like about that is it leaves us without any seams or joint marks. And I think these will show off a little bit better, and there'll be a little bit less clutter going on.

Does that sound okay?

RANDY:

Sounds real good to me, Ron.

RON:

Okay, let's do it that way.

This existing tile, or actually this may not even be tile, it may be concrete that's just been scored to look like tile, has a bit of a waxy feel to me. Perhaps floor wax has gotten here, I'm not sure. But I want to take that off before we put our new tile on. This is ammonia. I'll put maybe about half a cup in there. This should cut off that wax to give me a nice clean surface. It’ll make sure that the mortar that we're going to put down here in a moment will have a better chance of getting a good bond.

Now this is what we're going to be using to attach our new tiles here to our existing tile, or concrete, whatever it happens to be. This is called a thinset mortar, and this particular one has an acrylic polymer added to it. I kind of prefer that in situations where we're going to put tile on top of existing tile. Now I've mixed this up. Let's take a little bit of a putty knife and put that on here.

Now we're going to spread this around using a notch trowel. Now whenever you buy this material, somewhere on the package it will show you that you need a notch trowel, and it will tell you what size you need for any particular application. For us right now, this is calling for a notch that's about 1⁄4 inch wide by 3⁄8 of an inch deep.

All right, let's put a little bit more down here on the surface. There we go. And then we'll start to spread this out using our trowel. Now you want to hold this up on an angle about 45 degrees. You see there? So we're creating our ridges here that are about, in this case, 3⁄8 of an inch high.

Now let's put our first tile in here. I'm going to start here in the center. Actually, I want to put the edge of this right along that center line there. Kind of give this a little bit of a twist as I press it into place. And we'll drop the second one in here. I want to make sure that this pattern now is going to continue, that is, that circle. And I'm going to buck these right up next to each other. I'm actually probably not going to use a grout joint in these.

We've cleaned up some of this excess thinset in between the tiles here. It’s really not necessary, we're going to be covering that later, but I think you can see a little bit better what's going on here. The next step is to take this piece of oak molding, and we're going to install this around the outside edge here.

Okay, Randy, if you can put yours in position there. I put some tape down here to help us position this. I think this has got to come back to you a little bit.

Something like that?

RANDY:

Looks good here, Ron.

RON:

Okay, great. All right, now this is going to both be a form for the concrete and provide the finished edge for the hearth. And because this is kind of narrow oak, let's go ahead and pre-drill this. Give ourselves a starter hole.

Okay, and then we'll nail this in place using some five-penny finish nails. Okay, you all set over there?

RANDY:

Good.

RON:

Okay, good. Let's drive these in.

And we'll countersink this below the surface with a nail set.

Well, it's been a couple of days since I was here. Randy's gone ahead and put some varathane on this oak trim right here. Now we want to deal with this space in between the tiles, and this is going to be concrete. But I want to color this concrete one of two colors, either a blue that sort of matches this blue in here, and also a carpet that's over on this end of the room, or possibly a red-orange like this one right here.

So we're going to do a little experiment to see which of these coloring materials works the best. Blue is kind of a hard color to find in cement colors. What I've got right here is actually some colorant used for paints. This is for water-based paints. Let's take the seal off here. I'm going to add just a little bit of this in here. We're going to make a couple test patches. There we go. And because this is for water-based paint, and our thin-set mortar here, which is what I'm going to use for our grout or our concrete, is also water-based, I'm thinking, well, you know, maybe this stuff will work just fine. Well, we've certainly got enough blue going there. I mean, one of my concerns was that it wouldn't impart enough color, but that's really quite a bit of blue. Okay. What we're going to do now is spread this out very thin like this, and I'm going to put this outside in a couple of minutes, let it dry, so we see what the dry color looks like.

Now, another way to color this cement or concrete is with these powdered pigments right here. These are designed specifically for coloring concrete. And I can't get this in blue, as I might have mentioned, but I can get it in red. And the red that I want in the tile over there is almost an orange, so I'm going to mix that red with this orange. And now we'll take our putty knife here. Again, this is just going to be a sample.

We've let our two samples dry out in the sun, then compared them with the tiles. And while either one of these would probably work, I'd adjust the blue a little bit, make it a little bit darker. We've decided that we think the red will be a little bit better, that it'll kind of tie all this together, it'll relate a little bit better to the oak. So that's what we're going to use. We've mixed up a larger batch of this right here, and we're about ready to put that on. But before we do that, if you'll notice, this fireplace screen right here is set underneath this tile right here. Now, normally what I would do is take the fire screen loose, just take it off, put the concrete down, set it back in place, and put it on top. But because it's underneath these tiles, I can't do that. So what I want to do is take some WD-40 here.

There we go. The can's almost empty here. And I'm going to put it right down here on the base of the fire screen. This is going to act as a release agent. So in the future, if Randy has to get this out of here, at least it won't be stuck to the concrete. It might be entrapped in there a little bit, but it won't actually adhere to the concrete.

Let's start to put some of this concrete down. Now, actually, this is the same thinset that we used to attach the tiles. It's got an acrylic additive. I'm using this because I think it'll stick better, less likelihood of it cracking.

Okay, Randy, if you take your float now and start to spread that out. I'll keep adding this in here. Now, what we're using to spread this around, by the way, is a, this is sort of a tile grout float, foam rubber. I'm using it because we don't have to worry about scratching the wood or the tile with it. I'm going to force this down into the opening here.

What I'm finding here is really that rubber float didn't work too well. This wide putty knife seems to be doing a much better job of cleaning off this excess and forcing it into the joint.

Now, we've used sponges to sort of level the cement and clean the bulk of it off the tile. And I'm coming back now with this paper towel to take this haze off. And we're pretty much done. We've got a little bit of cleaning up to do. You want to wait until the cement or concrete, whatever you're using, is somewhat firm before you do this process so that you can clean it up and level it easily.

Now, when we're through here, this will lighten up a little bit more. Perhaps it might even turn out to be a little bit lighter than this orange here, but I think we've got a pretty good color match.

So, Randy, what do you think? Does this look the way you wanted it to?

RANDY:

I think it looks absolutely great. I appreciate it.

RON:

I think we really have showcased these tiles here by making these three squares. And this color is going to blend in nicely with the surrounding floor.

Anyway, if you're looking for an innovative way to decorate your hearth, well, this is one possibility for you.

From the archives of the House Doctor

A tired, crumbling fireplace surround doesn't have to stay that way. In this episode of House Doctor, Ron helps homeowner Randy swap out his heavy plaster ornamentation for a sleek, contemporary look — complete with salvaged Italian tiles and richly colored concrete. The result is a hearth that feels curated and updated.

What you'll need:

Ceramic or porcelain tiles
Thinset mortar (acrylic polymer blend)
Notched trowel (¼" × ⅜")
Powdered pigment for concrete
Oak molding for border trim
Grout float (foam rubber)
Ammonia solution
Finish nails & nail set
Putty knife & wide scraper
WD-40 (release agent)

See the step-by-step instructions at the end of the article.

Choosing the right color for your concrete

Ron tested two approaches: a water-based paint colorant for blue, and powdered pigments specifically formulated for concrete. While both produced results, the powder pigments — blending red and orange — gave a truer, more saturated color that related warmly to the oak trim and the room's existing palette.

The key is to pull your color directly from elements already in the space — your tile, trim, or flooring. A small test patch dried in the sun takes only minutes and saves you from committing to a color that reads differently once cured (concrete lightens as it dries).

Working around a fixed fireplace screen

Now, what if the fireplace screen is permanently trapped under an existing tile? Rather than forcing it out and risking damage, Ron applied WD-40 to the base of the screen before pouring the concrete. This acts as a release agent — the screen may be surrounded by concrete, but it won't be chemically bonded to it, making future removal possible.

Why use acrylic polymer thinset instead of standard grout?

Standard grout is fine for tile joints, but for filling a large open hearth surface, acrylic polymer thinset offers superior flexibility and crack resistance. The polymer additive creates a stronger bond and is far less likely to crack under the thermal expansion and contraction that a fireplace surround regularly experiences. It's also the same material you're using to set the tile, which simplifies your supply list.

Finishing and cleanup

Once the concrete is firm but not fully cured, use a damp sponge to level the surface and remove the bulk of any excess. Follow up with a dry paper towel to lift the remaining haze off the tile faces. Don't rush this step — working on concrete that's too wet will drag and smear; too dry and it won't budge.

Apply varathane or a comparable finish to the oak molding to protect it from heat and soot over time. The wood tone will warm the overall palette and give the hearth a polished, intentional edge.

The result: a hearth that looks designed

The finished fireplace showcases the Italian tiles as deliberate focal points rather than afterthoughts. The colored concrete fills the space without visual clutter — no grout lines, no competing patterns — while the oak border bridges the gap between tile and mantel. It's a renovation strategy that rewards creativity over budget. And in this case, the most beautiful elements in the project were tiles Randy already owned.

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Step 1

Clean the surface

Mix roughly half a cup of ammonia with water and scrub the existing hearth. This removes wax buildup and ensures your thinset gets a strong bond.

Step 2

Plan the tile layout

Arrange patterned tiles so each grouping reads as a complete unit. For four-tile circular patterns, keep each cluster intact — don't cut tiles to fill gaps.

Step 3

Apply thinset mortar

Use an acrylic polymer thinset. Hold the notched trowel at 45° and comb even ridges about ⅜" high. Work in sections so the mortar doesn't skin over.

Step 4

Set the tiles

Press each tile with a slight twist to collapse the ridges and ensure full coverage. Butt tiles tightly if skipping grout joints, or use spacers for a standard joint.

Step 5

Install oak border trim

Cut oak molding to frame the tile groupings. Pre-drill pilot holes in narrow stock to avoid splitting, then nail with five-penny finish nails and countersink with a nail set.

Step 6

Pour colored concrete

Mix powdered pigment into thinset mortar and fill the remaining hearth area. Use a rubber float first, then a wide putty knife to clean and level before it fully sets.