DIY Kiva-Style Stucco Fireplace

Remove the fireplace mantel with a crowbar. Measure the distance from the top of the fireplace to the top of your ceiling. This distance gives you the amount of wire mesh needed to create the rounded flue on a Kiva fireplace.

Measure a 1-inch space on the left-hand side of the wire mesh. Attach the piece directly to the wall above the fireplace with drywall screws. Place one screw directly above the fireplace and attach another screw every 2 inches. Bend the wire into a rounded shape and press against the wall. Secure the opposite side of the mesh to the wall on the opposite side of the fireplace. Cut off the excess mesh with the wire cutters.

Place a second piece of wire mesh on the wall, overlapping this piece with the bottom piece by 1 inch or more. Arrange additional pieces of mesh on the wall, overlapping each piece with the pieces on the bottom. Make the mesh slightly thinner as you move up the wall, to resemble the shape of a Kiva fireplace. Trim off any excess wire at the top, so that it sits flush with the ceiling.

Mix the mortar as directed by the manufacturer in a plastic bucket. Cover the areas around the wire mesh with masking tape and newspaper, which keeps the mortar from bleeding over. Apply the mortar to the wire with a trowel, smoothing out any bumps by scraping the trowel over the wet mortar. Use at least two coats of mortar, letting each coat dry.

Paint the concrete bonding agent onto the fireplace and the dried mortar with a paintbrush. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes while you mix the stucco. Apply the stucco mixture to both surfaces with a metal trowel. While the stucco is still wet, run your trowel up and down the surfaces.

Apply a second coat of stucco once the first coat finishes drying. Rub a straight trowel across the stucco, smoothing out any bumps or dents. The trowel gives the fireplace the sleek look of a Kiva design.