This project is a bit more complicated that my usual (i.e. it takes longer than five minutes), but it's so worth it. I get tons of compliments on it, and it really forces you to exercise my #1 tool, courage. I promise, you'll be so proud of yourself when you're done. Please, if you have questions, or if I've left something unclear, let me know with a comment. I will respond.
Since I did this project almost two years ago, I don't have video, or a ton of pictures, so you'll have to trust me on this when I tell you you can do this, assuming you have a fireplace like this one. I truly had no tile or masonry experience and just dove in like an idiot here, and if I thought I was getting into trouble, asked the guys at Home Depot. This is a very messy project, so you'll need to protect your flooring well. Lucky for me, I have concrete floors that clean up easily.
I started by removing the existing tile. Since I didn't have the proper tools, I used a flat head screwdriver as a chisel and a hammer as a mallet and started chipping away at the grout between the tiles. Once I'd removed enough of the grout, I wedged the screwdriver behind the tile as far as I could and pulled backward to pry the tile away from the fireplace. Sometimes I'd wedge the screwdriver behind and hammer on it again to remove the adhesive bond behind the tile. This did result in some chunks of the sheetrock coming away with the tiles. Yes, there's sheetrock behind those tiles--who knew?? Don't worry about that, we'll fix it later. If I remember correctly, I didn't find it any easier to break up the tiles first, but smashing them with a hammer is great for taking out aggression, so if you find it simpler to remove them in small pieces (or if that method seems to result in less loss of sheetrock), then go for it!
Halfway done with the demo:
I then decided it might be nice to patch up the chunks of sheetrock taken out. I asked in the tile department at Home Depot and was directed to the joint compound. A quart of premixed stuff costs about $3.50, and that's all you'll need for this project. You'll probably need one of these, too, to spread it and make it even. They cost less than a dollar.
This is a leftover piece, mine were actually 12"x12". Here's the back:
Now, I decided that the green in this mosaic didn't stand out enough, so I also bought four 4" glass tiles, then I picked off enough of the small tiles in the center of four of the mosaic pieces to fit the larger tiles.
Because I'm half assed, I chose a combination adhesive/grout. Why go through two steps when you can do it in one? Premixed, of course. About $10. Then, go to town. Smear a ton of adhesive on the first section, and slap your tile up there, smashing it into the slop so that it squeezes out through the spaces between the tiles. More is better with the adhesive, since it cleans up afterwards. This is very messy. If you're anal about messes like me, breathe deeply and accept that it will be messy for a while. If you've removed tiles to make room for a larger one, now's the time to insert that larger tile. Then, you can move onto your next piece. When it comes time to trim, the fabric cuts nicely with a regular pair of scissors.
Once you've attached all of your tile pieces, it's time to grout. You may want to do this in sections, as this is the most labor intensive part. Take more of the goop and smear it liberally all over the tiles. Your beautiful tiles are now covered in gunk. You'll need a large sponge (available in the tile department of your local home improvement store), a bucket of water, and probably a bunch of old towels or rags. Wet the sponge and wipe away the excess grout. This is more difficult than it sounds, not because the grout adheres a lot, but because there's so damn much of it. Keep working at it, rinsing your sponge and changing the water as needed, until there is no longer a haze on the tiles, then move onto the next section. Don't panic if you run out of time before you finish--even if the adhesive/grout dries, you can still wash it off, it's just a little more difficult. I did this project over a series of evenings, while watching The Blues Brothers with my youngest, and had to dash out quickly to pick the other son up from rehearsal, so this project had to be abandoned many times.
When you're finished, you'll need to make a nice, clean grout line around the opening of the fireplace. Run your finger along the perimeter as you would with, say, caulk. I had to add a trim piece along the bottom (I believe we did it with hot glue) because there's no carpeting on my floor, and it just looked unfinished. This photo was taken before those finishing touches:
COST
Tiles $5-10 per x 10 $50-100
Joint Compound $3.50
Joint Compound Knife $1
Adhesive Grout $10
Sponge $2
Approx $67-117
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