Thanks Lisa! While playing with the ColorSnap Visualizer I noticed that the color strip contained a beautiful deep charcoal gray called Black Fox. I agree with everything you said! I would have never considered this dark accent wall color if I hadnt tried the ColorSnap Visualizer so I encourage you to give it a try before you shop for paint. Just what my family wants to do with our fireplace. jars of a beautiful, very light sage-ish green. The fireplace still has texture, but painting it makes it feel more modern. Do you know about how much paint you used for this project? Im Abbey. A simple and fun project that my daughter and I did in one day really made a huge difference in the living room space. Hi, For this project I recommend using regular old brushes, not your best ones. To my surprise I learned that this paint is no longer carried, but they recommended Krylon Chalky Finish Paint as a replacement. I'm here to show you how! Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Based Primer in White, Mindful Gray, another great Sherwin-Williams color, https://simplyrefinished.com/diy-faux-shiplap-plank-wall/, https://simplyrefinished.com/category/diy-home-improvement/painting-kitchen-cabinets/, https://simplyrefinished.com/updating-laminate-countertops-with-giani-countertop-paint-kit/, https://simplyrefinished.com/budget-friendly-kitchen-makeover/, FarmHouse Kitchens: Countertop & Cabinet Makeovers, https://www.pinterest.com/simplyrefinished/, https://www.facebook.com/simplyrefinished, How To Chalk Paint: Furniture Makeovers Made Simple, Twin Headboard Makeover With Decoupage, Casting Moulds, Stripes and Stencil, Furniture Makeover With Chalk Mineral Paint: Nightstand with Stick & Style Stencil Design, Furniture Makeover Morocco Inspired Table Makeover With Stencil and Decoupage Paper, How to do a DIY Faux Shiplap Plank Wood Wall. .you're awesome and made it so easy for me to do. However, if you use the fireplace or plan to use it in the future, be mindful of what type of paint might be safe for those high-heat areas. You may want to explore options if you burn a lot of fires! Gorgeous. Using my small craft brush, I proceeded to paint the grout lines. White+ red = pink, and I found the diluted method just didn't work for me. Just keep putting on more coats until you achieve the desired amount of whitewash color on your brick. I hope you find something here that inspires you! But other paint brands you could consider are Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint or Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint. I'm so excited about my new chaulk paint fireplace. What a great transformation! I vacuumed the fireplace well. Love it. Cindy! I really appreciate it! Thanks again for reading my blog! I did not seal either. This is a messy project and soot and ash from fireplaces can easily stain floors and clothing. We are doing some kitchen cabinet refinishing this weekend so maybe after that! We did a similar thing, painted the paneling and German smeared the fireplace and we love ours. That same family who were so opposed to a painted fireplace? This is beautiful! Now that your fireplace is painted step back and admire your work! That board was the last bastion of glossy fake oak in our homeand I was not sad to see it go! The little paint sample swatches are nice, but its hard to really imagine the space with just those little sample cards. We have a brick fireplace too and I am dying to do something similar. (Hallway II), Thrift Store Bookcase Built-In Challenge (Hallway III), Thrift Store Bookcase Built-Ins Trim and a Ball of Wax Update (Hallway IV), Thrift Store Bookcases Transformed to Built-Ins Before and After (Hallway V), Painted Linoleum Floor with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Lacquer, How to Thrift and Score for Your Home, Mid-Century Chair. It fits in with the rest of the room and now the overall feeling in the room is so much lighter and brighter! It's beautiful. I'm so glad I found your post! Thank you for sharing your process. I found this at my local Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market but you can also order it on Amazon or even walmart.com. A whitewash technique is basically using watered down chalk paint. The living room doesnt get enough natural light to support this color on our walls. Gotta love paint! Mr DIY and I spent the weekend in San Antonio and Fredricksburg, TX. I think any lighter color would do fine for white washing. I had some leftover Valspar Chalky Finish Paint in the color kid gloves. Just gorgeous ! Place down drop cloths and hold in place with painters tape if needed to protect floor and walls around fireplace. We've made a lot of changes and have already. I'd love to see a pic! My brick is traditional red brick which is not smooth so the surface is bumpy with ridges and crevices and your brushes will get beat up during the painting process. And now when someone walks into our living room, their eyes are immediately drawn to the fireplace. It was a belated anniversary trip and we had such a fun time! Try scrubbing the solution into the soiled areas with a scrub brush. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission! I used cream of tartar mixed with water, let it sit and wiped it off. Thank you. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=223927045399681. I too was thinking about the German smear method, but that seems like a lot of messy work, and if I ever decide to paint it in the future, I might lose the brick texture. Make a solution of warm water mixed with a few drops of dish liquid to apply to the firebox. I was all fired up to paint the fireplace once the room was freshly painted, but the rest of the family said an emphatic no! I love how the black screen pops now! Yes please send me a picture of your painted fireplace! However, it worked fine for this project. Now that my fireplace was clean, I was ready to paint. No Sanding! Well, enough said. You can upload a photo of your room and try out different wall colors to help you plan before your shop for paint. How to Paint Old Dark Kitchen Cabinets the easy way! Before you paint your fireplace, please do the prep work to ensure the best results! This required me to clean it out completely. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!! Love site too ! One tip is to make sure your fireplace is completely cooled down, if it was recently used. I used Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Based Primer in White. Required fields are marked *. Thanks for taking the time to leave a nice one ;) I read all comments and love to respond if you leave your email! I was going to do the whole German smear on a brick wall we discovered under some drywall. I really love how much of the red still shows through, but the whole effect is fresher and clean-looking! If you see areas where some stains show through once the paint is dried, you may need to apply a white-tinted stain-blocking primer to those spots. I found as the paint dried it lightened significantly, so I ended up applying it with a bit of a heavier hand. It's beautiful with the paint and fixtures that were here when we bought the house. Here are my other home makeover DIY posts if youd like to check those out also! Once the paint and water is mixed, you can move on to the fun part, whitewashing the brick fireplace! This technique is just as beautiful over stone! Chalk paint is not heat resistant, but in this case, it doesn't need to be! You could consider a lighter gray, mauve, ivory or antique white. and other DIY projects for the home. It took just a couple of hours to finish painting the fireplace and mantle! Again thanks your instructions were easy to follow and you supply list with links made my shopping quick and simple. Oh, and I have 4 4 oz. This primer is really thin but since it was white, I could apply it in spots where needed without messing up the appearance of finished product. I also cleaned my fireplace to the best of my ability. The difference is dramatic and I didn't even have to buy any supplies! You'll probably need to go heavier with the paint to cover the brown, but I'll bet it will lighten up your room tremendously! Please do not remove any watermarks, crop or edit any of my images without first obtaining written permission from me. You can see that I progressed to painting the entire fireplace, including the mantle! Id love to hear from you! It will likely require several coats of paint. And honestly it was a little scary with all the dust and cobwebs! This gives a very Earthy, coastal, and farmhouse vibe, which I love! But I'm itching for something lighter and brighter, and it gets a little depressing, with a big surround of brick in dark brown. This is a perfect alternative, and provides essentially the same "look." I wish I could upload a before and after picture to show you. Is it completely open on both sides? It still looked dirty. Click here to see that tutorial! Wipe down the outside area of the brick fireplace with a mixture of water and a few drops of dish liquid to remove dirt or stains before painting. Next, if needed apply a paste of baking soda and water and scrub the firebox walls and floor with a good scrub brush. Thanks so much Wendy, I love hearing that my tutorials are helpful to others! The fireplace makeover with chalk paint was my favorite update in this 70s brick ranch. After doing a little research on these I learned that these stains come from dye in the brick or from soot or other chemicals commonly found in fireplaces. Hi Amy, it is gas and it's open on both sides. I want to do basically what you have done, and get that same sort of look. Now, my fireplace orientation looks fine. This blog's content is for entertainment purposes only and is not professional advice. But this is much appreciated and helps me keep blogging to bring you more helpful content! I have been wondering if I could do this with a faux brick wall in our house. Thanks to your comprehensive guide. DIY Beautify is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. In fact, I had a reader reach out with questions and I walked her through the process. If you use this method to paint your fireplace, send me pictures and I may feature you here! And, as I mentioned above, the accent wall also really makes that whitewashed fireplace stand out in a good way! They said they liked the red. So you may want to put on some old clothes and be sure to wear good work gloves. I like Scotch Blue Painters Tape, Frogtape Painters Tape which is green, and most recently I Duck brand Painters Tape, which worked remarkably well and peeled off so easy. So, I thought that this look was what I should try to achieve. By reading this blog and attempting to recreate any content shared on it, you assume all responsibility for any injuries or damages incurred. I had never before considered doing an accent wall. Thank you Mary, I love the brighter look! Even now a couple years later, it has held up perfectly and Im still so happy with it! here for 12 dramatic white chalk paint makeovers, My Privacy Policy is available to view here, SOLO cup (or any container than can be discarded). Like I mentioned above, this project started off as a cleaning experiment! My, Thrift Store Haul DIY Makeover Under $100! They were adamantly opposed to a white chalk paint fireplace. Other options you can tell me about ?Thanks so much,Molly. I have a question about painting a fireplace. This is a fantastic look. Whitewashing instead will not give complete coverage, allowing some of the underlying brick natural color to peek through. If you want more info on chalk painting furniture check out this blog post. I adore the farmhouse, distressed look. So, hopefully Ive shown you how easy it is to whitewash your fireplace brick. It really inspired me. Honestly before you paint it is best to get rid of all the dust and soot anyway. Then I finished off the insides of the bricks with the dry brush, blending the wet paint well. Protect the space around your hearth by placing down drop cloths. We don't use the fireplace that often and I figure if it gets dirty, it will be easy to add a coat of paint! Just take a look at Patti's stone fireplace before and after painting with chalk paint! Creating a beautiful home on a budget IS within reach! Your email address will not be published. I love the transformation. Hi there, I'm Cindy. That is on my project to do list. Here is a pic of the fireplace before. This fireplace, which is upstairs in our living room, doesnt get much use, so I was a little worried about peeking behind those glass doors! And I really think that once we place down new flooring it will make a world of difference in this room! Honestly, I didn't see much of a difference. If you wanted to you could apply a. Painting Tutorials. I love when you share! Have you been thinking about updating your outdated red brick fireplace? Thank you Eilis, you could try a small patch at the bottom and see how it looks! After painting the grout lines in a small section, I dipped just the tips of my regular Purdy brush in the paint. They wanted it to stay. With so much dust and debris flying around youll likely need it! Click here to see how I gave a $25 grandfather clock an amazing makeover with chalk paint! I researched how best to clean fireboxes and found several recommendations. Our house was built in the late 70s and this fireplace truly screamed 70s dcor. But you may be wondering what brushes to use. How to Restore a Thrift Store Score! Otherwise, please look for my response under the post where you left it! I enjoy sharing my furniture and home dcor painting projects, woodworking and furniture building projects (basically anything that allows me to play with power tools!) Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework. You can change the consistency of the paint and water mixture and therefore change the coverage by using different ratios of paint to water. We went back and had the paint tinted to Mindful Gray, another great Sherwin-Williams color. I also like to vacuum all the fireplace brick, even the part outside the hearth, before painting. I taped off the carpet around the hearth and poured a small amount of white chalk paint into a SOLO cup. Sometimes they need to trust your instinct when it comes to these things. Cindy, I cant thank you enough for this very easy to follow directions. I'm so glad you found my tutorial easy to follow! I only had one-half can of the Valspar paint so I went to Lowes to get some more to finish my project. Just like I knew they would . Mid-Century Table: What Lies Beneath? You dont want that stuff contaminating your paint. Whitewashing outdated brick fireplaces is very popular right now on Pinterest, especially with the popularity of the farmhouse and coastal dcor styles. Thank you for the idea! Mid-Century Modern Chair Gorilla Tape and Foam, Mid-Century Modern Chair Finished! Goggles are recommended too. Hey Molle, you could paint the brick with the green paint first and then do the white wash over the top. I opted against the whitewash because I found the results looked too pinkish. Can you tell me more about your double-sided fireplace? This quick and easy wreath is made with fresh rosemary and will make your kitchen smell amazing as it dries! In one word - beautifully! It looks like it's gas do you turn it on often? We also have one but it has old glass doors that we'd like to remove. You can certainly choose to do a full coverage paint job for your fireplace, but it would likely require a very good bonding primer first and then several coats of paint that is made to adhere well to brick or masonry. As an Amazon Associate, this blog earns from qualifying purchases. A chalk paint whitewash brick fireplace also pairs well with most any wall color. I was considering painting our firebox but after doing a little research decided to leave it alone for now. Thanks so much for sharing!!! I finally did something to our ugly 80's brick fireplace and I am loving the results and can't wait to share them with you! What a difference a couple hours of painting makes. The before and after is truly amazing. I have also been looking at white washing and not super happy with the bland overall hue it gives, and I didnt want to paint it completely white; I too wanted the brick to show through. Blue painters tape works perfectly to mark off the areas where you dont want paint. Updating Old Laminate Countertops with Giani Countertop Paint Kit! You can Google various ways to do this using vinegar, TSP, etc. You are welcome to use one or two photos as long as a link back to my original post is included. It all works together now! And, I LOVE how it turned out (really, thank goodness)! So I started with a wet brush (wet with paint) for the edges of the bricks, which needed the most coverage. If you find that you've applied too much paint, you can easily sand it off. The paint dried really quickly, and in no time at all I was able to style my newly painted brick fireplace! Cindy that is one gorgeous fireplace brimming with character. This is what I started the process with. If I notice that soot starts to build up on the outside again, I'll clean it and simply add another light coat of chalk paint over it. Over the last several months, I've been sharing pictures of painted fireplaces with them and I could tell they were coming around. What a difference a little white chalk paint makes! Pinning and Sharing is always welcome and appreciated. We do have screens that we use when we're burning, but they're not attached. From Martha Stewart I think. Also brick is porous, so you kind of have to do a combination of brush stokes and stabs to get the paint onto the surface. We (Simply Refinished/Abbey Flanary Barnes) are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, Chalk Mineral Paint Basics: Tips For Success, FarmHouse Kitchens: Countertop and Cabinet Makeovers, Kitchen Makeover: Giani Paint Kit For Laminate Countertops, Chalk Painters Tips To Stay Creative During Quarantine, Farm House Table Makeover With Gel Stain and Chalk Paint . They said they liked the brick. Here is a link to my full disclosure policy. If you are keeping the fireplace glass doors clean those with vinegar and water. Place debris, dust and soot into a bag for disposal. It does make the room look larger and brighter! And wow, let me just say that immediately I knew this would really make the fireplace pop! And a whole run down of my Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover Project. Plus, the Blessed sign really stands out now. They mistakenly thought I wanted to paint the fireplace totally white, but when I shared my inspiration pictures, they liked the fact that a lot of the brick was still showingand I kind of took that as a green light . And I love it!! So I gave the Shellac-based primer a try and it worked perfectly to prevent those stains from bleeding through. I did come across several posts where folks had used a Rust-oleum High-Heat paint for this purpose, but Id suggest doing a little research to make sure its a safe option for your fireplace. And, it does wonders to update a room and create a gorgeous focal point. Eventually I would like to replace it with a larger, chunkier mantel but for now, I'm happy with it! It looks so much lighter and airier. I'm trying to decide how much I'll need for mine. I wish you luck with your fireplace transformationwould love to see a pic when it's done ;). I used up my leftover white chalk paint (, This is a great question. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a4705bba14ac2379eb558e482ec22c21" );document.getElementById("c30201a720").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hey Friends! Clean out your fireplace first to prepare for paint. I didn't want any hint of pink, I wanted white! This is a fun and simple DIY makeover and a project you can do in just one day! Feel free to message me if you have any questions about this or any other projects! creating a faux brick wall in our master bedroom and did the German Schmear treatment in there! I love your technique. The dirty looking bricks got a bit heavier coverage! It takes up the entire length of the room. We burn fires in the winter and the fireplace still looks great! So this is why a watered down application of chalk paint works best. Hi Cindy, I've really enjoyed spending time in your blog tonight. The room is now bright and the mantel really pops. If you have some areas of the brick that do get scratched up then just touch-up those spots as needed. Looking forward to seeing more of you ideas. I also removed all the melted wax that has been sitting on the hearth for who knows how long. This might look very nice if you are like me and leaving the hearth open without a door or screen. I cant speak to the quality of this paint as I havent yet tried it on a piece of furniture where getting a smooth finish would be important. I'd love to share my pictures if you're interested .thanks for motivating me. I did have a few pink-tinted stains and some light brownish tan stains showed through in spots. I decided to try out this color in the ColorSnap Visualizer as an accent color on the wall with the fireplace! I also painted the dark beams white. Rinse with a clean rag and water and allow to dry. Use a broom and dust pan to clean the firebox. We also started working on the sunroom just behind this room (they share this fireplace). Check out the before and after pictures of Patti's stone fireplace below! Here is a picture of my dated red brick fireplace with a glass and screen insert. I will show you how easy it is to do a chalk paint whitewash of your brick fireplace! This primer is a little thicker but when it didnt work to block the stains I was dealing with. I read them, but then decided to do my own thing. We only use the fireplace a handful of times in the winter because it's so hot here in Texas! I did not see any need to seal the chalk paint. I will share some pictures with you someday! I loved this idea so much that I tried it! Next use a Shop Vac to remove all those dust particles. And the impact on your living space is amazing! what paint is the best for cabinets and bookcases, make sure to read this post! And let me tell you this is a messy job, at least it was for me with the condition of my fireplace. But first you will likely need to put on some good work gloves if your didnt already do this for the first step. Thanks for the great ideas! Rinse with old rags/towels or shop towels. All free printables on my site are for personal use only, and not to be used to make money. The heat stays inside the fireplace so it doesn't affect the chalk paint whatsoever. I opted to completely remove my glass door and screen on my hearth, leaving the hearth open. Click here to see all the ugly before pictures of this enormous fireplace. Thank you so much for this tutorial, its exactly what I had in mind, Ive been looking for a few years now! You probably wont want to use the broom you use for everything else as it may get soot and ash on it and track to other areas of your home! Love this idea! What inspired me to consider an accent wall was the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Visualizer! I'm glad you are happy with your results! Now, Ill take you through the simple steps we did in our budget and beginner friendly chalk paint whitewash brick fireplace makeover, starting with a supplies list. I found that if I attempted this with my large brush, I got too much paint on the bricks. They love it! The fireplace (in my opinion) was an eyesore and detracted from all the other lovely things happening in the room. I am in love with how this fireplace turned out! And since we used white paint for the red brick, going with a darker accent wall around the fireplace really made that updated fireplace stand out. Do you or any of the readers have any suggestions? We had initially planned to paint the whole living room a single color, Repose Gray by Sherwin-Williams. Please respect the effort I've put into my blog and I will do the same for youThank You! Abbey, Your email address will not be published. And if you dont follow me on social, please follow me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/simplyrefinished/and Facebook too at https://www.facebook.com/simplyrefinished. This post contains affiliate links. I decided to have a go at cleaning the soot from around the opening of the fireplace. But let me just tell you that it really creates that wow factor in a room! I poured the paint into a plastic bowl and did about a 2 parts paint: 1 part water mixture. But my fireplace brick is painted dark brown. After the primer dried I then repainted those spots with the chalk paint. You have successfully joined our subscriber list. There are a lot of tutorials available on painting and whitewashing fireplaces over the internet. Once we started painting Repose on the walls we immediately knew this wouldnt work for this room. I did at first use regular Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer in White. But I so badly wanted to update this fireplace that my daughter and I set our minds to getting this project underway. Yes, you absolutely can! If so, Im hopeful that this post will give you the courage to go ahead and just do it! my full disclosure policy can be foundhere. One thing you could consider is painting the firebox itself inside the hearth. I wish you the best of luck with your projects! There are several brands of painters tape out there that I often reach for when making this purchase. I think any of those would be okay. Hello there friends, old and new! Thank you so much Debra! I concentrated the heavier paint on the outer edges of the brick. But, as with anything, it's always better to start light and then add more paint if you need. So could I use this technique on already painted brick? I'm so happy you're here today . Now I want to sell it but need advise on what product to use. I hope this helps! I am ready to do mine, just checking on your continued happiness with the paint you choose, that is what I have at home too. And thanks so much for checking out my blog. Before and After, Mid-Century Modern Table Trash to Treasure. Fast forward to this morning. Two hours to a whole new lookI love that! Here are a few explanations of some of the ways I found. Amazing how many dust bunnies and cobwebs collect in those brick crevices and bumps. Oh, and please disregard our very ugly stained old carpet. Thanks. Brick is very porous and will absorb some of the paint/water as you go. Thank you so very much Jackie! But first, you need to see how bad it looked! Once my brush was mostly dry, I went back over the centers of the bricks to give them lighter coverage. To clean the firebox use a dust mask or respirator! I have a lot more brick than you do here but a sample amount would be helpful. While you typically topcoat furniture pieces painted with chalk mineral style paint, that is not necessary here. I used white chalk and I love it. Here are some reader's painted fireplaces that they achieved following my easy technique. You can see that I started at the bottom and worked my way up my fireplace. You can sponge or brush on the paint and work it into the brick, but I found it easier to just work the paint into the brick with a stiff brush. I'm so glad you had great results with this easy project! A Mid-Century Modern Chair Gets a Makeover! Another fun way that we made the whitewashed fireplace the focal point of our living room was to make that wall our accent wall. Much different from regular masking tape, painters tape doesnt peel off the paint when it is removed. And your blog post helped me a lot to sort things out. Hi, So it has a while since you have done this, are you still pleased? You can use any brand of chalk mineral paint for the whitewash. Your comments are like sunshine and chocolate! I also wanted simple and quick, which is why I didn't go for the German Schmearalthough I ended up. Viewers love this method of painting a fireplace and I've heard from several that this was the best solution for their dingy fireplaces! Just remember that all images and text on this site are property of DIY beautify. I love the color and was wondering if I could work it in. A matte water based poly should seal it nicely. I am always amazed at the power of paint to completely transform! Thank you for reading my blog post! You will find that the brick will absorb some of your paint so you may see more brick color peeking through as the paint dries. (the fireplace in our living room is black, but that doesn't bother me like the brown.) This also really brightened up the space. There are so many ways to paint a fireplace! I tackled my fireplace with confidence this weekend and it looks beautiful. Mid-Century Table: How To Restore Vintage Hardware, Painting Over Laminate with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/Provence_profile.html. And I'll bet you're wondering how has my family reacted to the change? And while I was at it, I painted my mantel! Always protect your eyes! I think you can see what I mean about attractive brick but really quite dark and boring. We have been searching for the right idea's and techniques. I used some older paintbrushes for this. So hopefully Ive inspired you to try updating your brick fireplace with a chalk paint whitewash! But this is so much easier and cleaner!! Question though: Did you seal either the brick or wood mantle afterward? The rest of our living room looks so good! Here are a few different views of it during the last 3 years since I painted it.