Replacing a fireplace surround with tiles

MattChoo91

Hi,

I’ve been doing a bit of digging online and can’t seem to find any advice on replacing a fireplace surround. I was thinking of replacing my ugly marble fireplace surround with a nice flat tiled wall using split face slate tiles.

The idea is to leave the current firebox in place but rip out the tiles around it, and the mantle / trim planels Which surrounds the tiles and just have a completely tiled slate wall with a hole in it. I’d also leave the hearth intact but replace the black tiles with large flat slate ones to match the wall.

The problem is I’m not sure what problems I could be creating by removing the surround. Does it offer any sort of protection or is it just for aesthetics? I won’t be changing the dimensions of the firebox or mantle, so as long as I use suitable materials is this safe?

Thanks in advance!
Matt

MattChoo91

Still pondering this if anyone has any advice?