When my client Joe first reached out to me about this fireplace, he was considering limewash, whitewash, plaster or German schmear as options to bring the stone more in line with the contemporary look of their remodeled space. When we met to discuss his goals, Joe explained that he wanted the stone mostly covered in white (with just hints showing) and ideally, he wanted the deep grout lines mellowed out.
I could accomplish the goal of mostly covering the stone with any of the materials being considered – but mellowing the depth of the grout lines led us to going with German schmear as the solution. German schmear uses actual mortar, giving the option to use it at full-strength to fill the gaps between stones - but it also can be thinly applied to the surfaces to mostly (but not completely) cover them. After showing Joe some pictures of what a schmear would look like, we were on to creating the final product!
Using a white mortar that we mixed onsite, we started by filling the grout lines with a “pastry bag” approach, and then went back, filling the grout lines more and smearing the mortar over the stones. As we addressed the stones, we were careful to cover them, while still leaving subtle peak-through areas of the stone underneath.
Below are the before and after photos showing the transformation!
Enjoy!!
Jason
Before the schmear
After!
Schmear detail