That Ugly Stone!
The insert helped the appearance and efficiency of the fireplace, but removing the ugly surround revealed an area covered in soot. We got some soot removal “goop” and painted it on. Two coats did a decent but incomplete job, and all it really served to do was make the ugly consistent, especially on the top left where some was hacked out to make room for the old surround.
Time for paint!
Much improved. But these crude vents on either side are still ugly. They serve a good purpose, transferring warm air from the blocks around the fireplace into the room through convection. At the same time they offer a view into the raw concrete blocks behind, and they’re. . . crude.
Time to fix this, and with the arrival of a new 3D printer with a large build plate, we have the technology. Should be a good quick project, right? Wrong! Never say quick.
Fantastic! I absolutely love love love Mission style.
Thanks, Rawle! Another “couple of weeks” project that took a couple of years, but was worth it.