I’ve always been a little intimidated to tile anything. I love the way tile looks, but it seemed complicated. Tiling the fireplace surround seemed like the perfect project to tile for the first time.
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Fireplace Progress
My fireplace and built-in wall have been quite the process so far! If you’d like to check out some of my posts leading up to this point, here’s what I’ve done:
Selecting the Tile
I wanted a larger-scale marble tile that would look more like a marble slab once it was up. I found some from Lowes that I thought would work great. Bonus: it was less than $1 per tile!
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_1938.jpg?resize=960%2C897&ssl=1)
Project Prep
I’ll let you in on a secret: I didn’t use thin-set on the tile. I used Musselbound Tile Membrane instead. I’ve seen a few others use this technique, and I thought I’d give it a try. I wouldn’t use this on a surface that would get wet or on a floor, but it seemed like a good fit for what I needed.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/musselbound.jpg?resize=132%2C428&ssl=1)
It comes in a roll, and both sides are adhesive; one is for attaching to your surface, and the other is for attaching the tile. You can apply it directly to primed drywall.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/989EA2CA-06F2-4FDC-A90B-7817308689A0.jpg?resize=960%2C640&ssl=1)
I adhered the musselbound to the area around the fireplace and cut it to size with a razor. I pushed it into place as securely as possible with a grout float.
Cutting the Tile
Next, I laid out the tile to get the pattern I wanted before cutting it.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/03C618A2-45C8-48DC-AB6A-C12ED5C52F8B.jpg?resize=960%2C395&ssl=1)
Once I had it set up just the way I wanted, it was time to break out the wet saw! Since this was my first time tiling, I purchased a wet saw just for this project. I anticipate more tiling projects to come in the future, so it seemed like a worthwhile investment.
I decided to go with the Ryobi Wet Saw. I have quite a few Ryobi tools, and I’ve been happy with them.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryobitilesaw.jpg?resize=851%2C444&ssl=1)
Based on reviews, I bought a separate blade for the saw and used that instead of the one that came with it. It seemed to work well.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_1939.jpg?resize=916%2C1024&ssl=1)
I’m so glad I gave tiling a try because I enjoyed it! Once I got the hang of the wet saw, it wasn’t intimidating. Since this was a larger tile (12×12 inches,) I did have to cut half and then flip over to cut the other half of the tile, which wasn’t a big deal.
Once I had cut all the tile, I laid it out again just as I wanted to put it on the wall.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/949BA5D3-CAFA-4EB0-930B-5F73A59F00AB.jpg?resize=960%2C640&ssl=1)
Placing the Tile
I was finally ready to put the tile in place! This part was pretty simple. I removed the paper from the front of the musselbound and then stuck each tile in place. I pressed them in for about 5 seconds per tile to adhere.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/B1D204DC-75DB-4D6E-99BE-73AEFB78DCEB.jpg?resize=960%2C640&ssl=1)
At this point, I was a little worried because it didn’t have that marble slab look I was going for. But it was nothing a little grout and caulk couldn’t fix!
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/C3B5A512-E5F5-4A1F-A729-91BA64929D32.jpg?resize=960%2C640&ssl=1)
I used this grout (I only needed one small container since there wasn’t much to grout) and this caulk, and what a difference it made! Here it is with the fireplace installed.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1DF6CEFA-C745-448D-83D8-CD46D5C99354-2.jpg?resize=960%2C671&ssl=1)
It is subtle, but makes a huge difference, especially in person.
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/076589FC-E7A4-44B6-88F4-071E8ED1EB2E.jpg?resize=815%2C1024&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DE79C6F5-9E8F-4884-AAE0-BCA6B6A4F07C.jpg?resize=960%2C640&ssl=1)
![electric](https://i0.wp.com/designatedspacedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/C0ABBC96-7653-4F63-AD2F-EBE76B29B735-1024x797.jpg?resize=960%2C747&ssl=1)
I’m so glad I overcame my fear of tiling and tried this out! Tiling the fireplace surround ended up being a lot of fun.
It looks great Kristen!
Thank you so much, Grandma!
[…] included framing and building out the wall, adding the electric fireplace, building the mantel, tiling around fireplace and adding the frame TV. Phase 3 will be adding the shelves above the cabinets on both […]
What size is that fireplace?