Re-finish Cinder Block Fireplace
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we have one of the four Jones designed peaked ranch homes in Portland Oregon and have kept the house pretty original including the cinder block fireplace. however we are tired of water stains weeping through both the interior painted surface and exterior. outside it matches the house green color inside is currently white. we are thinking of adding slate or some other green toned tile/stone to the cinder block surface. We are concerned about the heat our gas insert generates for any type of glued application and unsure what to do about the outside surface. I have searched the board and it does not seem to be a popular problem...perhaps it is the rainy climate that is not condusive to cinder block fireplaces or we have a unique situation. open to all ideas and explanations...thanks in advance
you can easily tile on top of your blocks, but you'll use mortar not glue. go to a tile shop or big box store and they'll give you the correct stuff - and it's cheap.
sounds like you've got to solve your water issue first, tho. any natural stone/tile you put on top might also absorb stains. ceramic & porcelain do not absorb stains, but you'll want to use a natural stone. ceramic on the floor is one thing, but ceramic covering a fireplace could look cheesy - IMHO. slate would look great.
You may be able to solve the water problem by painting the top of your chimney with water proof paint. The chimney can get soaked and overloaded causing moisture to wisk through.
thanks for the for the suggestions... regarding sealing the fireplace 4 different
people have applied a sealant and thought they had solved the problem, including
the fireplace installing company who said 'they had the latest and best product'
we have repainted the outside 2 years ago and now have several spots leaking (white smegma over our green paint) and inside several copperish stains and bubbles
on our white paint. so before we do anything need to find out if this is common with cinder block or do we have a diseased malfunctioning block. we are prepared to contract a professional to troubleshoot and do the work but not sure who would be best for this situation. we were wondering if anyone else had experienced this and also if it would affect the re-sale value of the house if we changed the original fireplace. if not is it possible to seal and cover the block or do we have to tear out and replace this cinder block.
thanks all
Make sure you seal the top of the chimney. When it happened to us, water was seeping through the top and the inside of the chimney, not through the sides.
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