Fireplace Make Over (repost)

So now that we are all motivated for the new year and thinking "warm thoughts", I thought I would repost my fireplace makeover to motivate you to change things you have been meaning to. (Originally posted Oct. 2010)

So, the weather here in Utah has taken a turn for the worse. The heater kicks on multiple times a day and rain is in the forecast all week. I figured it's the perfect time to share my fireplace makeover! :)

So, here is the before:I had already started sanding the mantel at this point, so there was some dust in the air for the photo. See how orange the wood looks? And the pink bricks? I felt it was dated, and I wanted to stain the wood on the mantel darker. (The wall was maroon when we moved in.  It kind of grew on us, so we left it)

So first I sanded the mantel:I thought even THIS looked better then the orange wood. We debated putting a clear coat on this and leaving it light.
Ultimately we decided to stain it dark:I LOVE the color that the wood ended up. But now I didn't like the pink bricks. Truth be told, I HATE pink, but now with the mantel dark I felt they really stood out...and had to go. I didn't get any photos of the process, I wish I would have. :( My husband and I took a chisel and hammer to the brick fasad on the mantel. They were 1/2 inch thick with grout in between. The ones on the wall were stuck on with Tough as Nails. It was much easier then I thought to get them off.

I then picked out a tile color to replace the brick. We have a neighbor that does tile work, so we hired him to do it. BEST DECISION EVER!!! There are some things you can do yourself, and there are others you should know you limits and let the pros handle it. So we paid him $80 to tile the fireplace. (This led to all 3 bathrooms and my laundry room being tiled also! :)

Here is the final result:













And a side by side comparison:
BEFORE AFTER