Painting a brick fireplace is a simple and high impact option for people who are looking to update their space. We recently had all of the walls in the family room and kitchen area painted from grey to Sherwin Williams Pure White. With this change, it became pretty obvious that we needed to give our fireplace a little bit of love as well. It was already painted white before we moved in, but it was clear that it had been a while and was beginning to wear down. I decided we should go ahead and repaint it white to match the walls, and wanted to share the process!
Supply List:
- Primer
- Semi-Gloss Paint (finish and color will depend on your preference)
- Paint Brushes (go cheap here because you WILL ruin them)
- Paint Cup (optional, but so convenient)
- Roller with 3/4 nap for rough surfaces
- Paint Tray
- Painter’s tape
- Plastic to protect floors
- High Heat spray paint (if you are painting the firebox)
Process:
- Clear everything off the fireplace and mantle, including the TV. I left the mount since we knew we would be putting the TV back there.
- Vacuum and/or dust the brick.
- Grab a bucket of warm soapy water and a brush and scrub down the brick. Let it dry completely.
- The next step will depend on the current state of your fireplace. In most cases, you will want to prime the area (1-2 coats) so that the paint will stick better and last longer. A great option for primer is Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer. Because my brick had already been painted before, I skipped priming and instead used a paint + primer combination. The one I chose was Sherwin Williams Everlast Exterior Paint, but I’m pretty sure any interior latex paint would work as well. I chose a semi-gloss finish so it could be easily cleaned and had it tinted to Sherwin Williams Pure White to match my walls, but you can choose any finish or color you want (I am LOVING moody fireplaces right now)!
- When it comes to painting brick, it is a tedious process, but not difficult! You’ll want to start with your paint brush and paint all the mortar lines between the bricks. I found that putting a lot of paint on your brush at once and wipe just enough off so that it doesn’t drip everywhere made it easier to get better coverage.
- Once you are done with the mortar lines, go over everything with your roller. I recommend a roller with a 3/4 nap for rough surfaces. This will make it easier to get into all the little grooves.
- Repeat this process until you have the coverage you want.
- If you are painting the firebox, make sure to use high-heat spray paint. Remove the doors if possible to paint outside. If painting inside, make sure to thoroughly tape off the area and use plastic to cover everything in the area to prevent overspray.
LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE!
Before:
After:
This project can be done in a day, is very simple to do, and makes a HUGE impact! Let me know if you try it out!
