First of all i must mention that tiling directly on top of brick is an option if your brick is mostly flat without deep mortar lines like mine.
Tiling over brick hearth.
Tile over the backerboard using either thinset or one of the plastic adhesives.
Hearths take a beating.
Create a smooth work.
After doing this surround tiling the hearth and tiling a bathroom floor i finally bought this wet saw to tile my kitchen backsplash and it s great for small jobs like these marble is pretty soft and is known for chipping but i didn t encounter a big problem with that.
Spread and comb heat resistant mortar on the backerboard bed and starting along an edge with full tiles set.
Use painter s tape to mask off.
Which is the better option.
Even out the surface.
Option a use some sort of concrete leveling compound to eliminate the uneven quality of the existing brick hearth.
How to tile over a brick fireplace step 1.
Steps for tiling over a brick fireplace.
Option b forget the leveling compound and backerboard and just use thinset to level the surface and make the tile adhere.
Clean and prepare existing brick.
Let the bricks dry for a day or.
Give the entire surface of the brick fireplace a good scrub with a wire brush followed by the vacuum.
Spread the grout over the tiles with a grout float held at a 45 degree angle to the hearth.
Apply grout and sealer.
Cover the hearth with a drop cloth and remove the mantel and anything else that s attached to the brick.
Mix up a small batch of thin set mortar until it has the consistency of creamy peanut butter.
Go over the entire area with a wire brush to dislodge any loose mortar then scrub off the soot with a rag soaked in.
If possible you should remove the existing mantel for easier tile.
Cover the hearth with 1 4 backerboard.
How to tile over brick fireplace clean the brick.
Smooth out the mortar to create a flat even surface over the bricks filling in any indentations grooves or bumps on the.
Spread an even layer of thinset mortar over the bricks with a trowel.
How to do it cut bed.
A tiled hearth needs a sturdy 11 4 inch setting bed to withstand the shock of dropped.