An Attractive Way To Cover Over Ugly Tiles

Pebble Tile is a shockingly easy and highly attractive way to cover over ugly old fireplace tiles.

DO IT YOURSELF | Before I moved back into my 1920s home, I had a lovely tenant with impeccable taste who lived there for several years. When she asked if she could repaint, I gladly gave her and her decorator the go ahead, and they mostly did a great job respecting the original design.

My heart sank though when I discovered that she had also painted the tiles on the fireplace surround and hearth. The results looked cheap and more than a little tacky. I was prepared for major expense and a big mess to replace the tiles.

I wanted a natural stone that wouldn’t overwhelm the small scale of the fireplace and would enhance my living room’s neutral palette. I imagined an old country artisan carefully chipping and hand-laying the stones—while my wallet bled fifties. Then my research turned up a product called Pebble Tile—12-by-12-inch sheets similar to mosaic tile made with natural stones attached to a mesh backing. The stones come in a wide variety of natural colours and shapes from smooth beach stones to porous chunks of volcanic rock that form a mosaic-like pattern on the mesh. Not only does the interlocking system make laying these tiles idiotproof for the D.I.Y.-er, they can be installed over a variety of surfaces including vinyl, granite and, apparently, old fireplace tile.

Prices for the tiles vary but a good place to start is the Leros Tiles website which has a wide selection of price and styles. I chose flat volcanic tile in Bali Black and spent under $200 on about 11 square feet of tile. Installation really was as easy as promised in this HGTV instructional video (www.naturalpebbletile.com) and my once tacky fireplace looks terrific.—Terri Brandmueller

Leros Tiles at 140 – 8555 Sea Island Way, Richmond, 604 304-4436 and in North Vancouver at 102 – 88 Lonsdale Avenue, 604-304-4046.

Photo: Casey Phaisalakani