Resurfacing a brick fireplace

[Jeff]

I have two red brick fireplaces which look a bit shabby. I would like to resurface them in either tile or a thin stone such as slate. If anyone has experience with this,

- do I have to use heat resistant tile, or will standard floor tile be ok? It will be only on the surround and hearth and not inside the firebox.

- what type of cement product should I use to cover the bricks and create a smooth surface for application of the tile?

- is this a bigger job than I am thinking? Would it be simpler to use some type of flat stone which will be easier to apply to a nonsmooth surface?

Thanks for any suggestions,

-- Jeff

[raven]

Standard tile will be fine.

Do not apply cement product directly to the brick: you may have a change of heart. Or a subsequent owner will. Screw furring strips into the mortar joints, and then attach cement board to the furring strips. This will make it far easier to change out the tile, or go back to the brick at a later date.

I don't think so. Once the cement board is up, it's going to be a fairly straight foreward job. There are even many lines of faux stones that you could apply.

John