Expert: Dan Donavin - 4/16/2008

Question
Hi Dan.  I have a brick fireplace that I've painted a couple of times and it's not making my husband happy! I was wondering if we could reface it with fieldstone. I had seen a picture of a chimney that was refaced and it looked beautiful. Can this be done and is it ridiculously expensive?  Thanks for any info......dara

Answer
Hi Dara

You have a few options to replace your fireplace with flagstone. Because of the painted brick you cannot safely stone over the brick. You can install metal lathe over the brick with concrete screws and install the stone on top of that if the extra thickness is not a problem. Otherwise, you can remove the brick and replace with plywood and metal lathe. Manufactured stone is usually less expensive than natural stone unless you can find a good deal on a bushel or so of stone. Either way, I would definitely recommend hiring a professional stone mason to install it for you. If you provide the materials, a stone mason should cost between $7 and $18 a sq. ft. depending on your area and how complicated the fireplace is. I have done fireplaces floor to ceiling with manufactured stone for around $17 a sq. ft. with all materials. We are available for estimates if you are east of the Mississippi.
Good Luck



Dan Donavin
Gorgeous Finish Works, LLC
gorgeousbuilders@yahoo.com