I refreshed my fireplace, y’all.
DIY Fireplace Makeover (and a Paint Tool Hack)
It wasn’t DRASTIC, yet IT WAS.
I went with the brightest white… which, when comparing the photos side-by-side, one can see the original white-ish fireplace was actually smokers-teeth white.
Or yellow.
YES. A fireplace makeover was a long time coming.
Now? The fireplace is a sparkling white! The color: Extra White from Sherwin-Williams. I learned that Extra White is their base color, so how handy is that?
Let’s talk about the concrete slab. It was a complete wreck. No amount of cleaning made a lick of difference on that stained slab.
I was nervous about covering the slab in paint, but what did I have to lose, right?
So, I bought some fireplace primer, the brick paint, the slab paint, taped up what I could, and set myself to work!
I applied one coat of brick primer and two coats of paint.
Oh did that bad boy soak-up the paint.
It took a couple of days. Luckily I had a couple of days. My dad was visiting, and he wasn’t feeling well, so we did a little movie marathon while I painted!
What kind-of prep did I do? I tried to wash down the fireplace brick before painting, but the surface was so rough it just ate-up my cloths. So… I ditched that plan and just did a good dusting and crossed my fingers.
Since my fireplace is gas burning and not wood, I wonder if the grit and grime was less of an issue for us.
But there waaaaas the issue of the concrete slab the fireplace insert was (and still is) setting on.
The space between the slab and the insert was big enough to be a visual headache, and small enough that none of the tiniest paintbrush/sponges/rollers would work.
I needed slim. I needed long.
Once I solved the issue of finding a tool to paint underneath the insert… I DID A HAPPY DANCE, finished paining, cleaned up the mess, and DECORATED! Fireplace makeover FTW!
I guess I don’t have a total cost, but lets just say it cost one can of brick primer, two cans of paint, some tape, and a buck or so for the trim pad I attached to the paint stick – which was free. And a few days of time.
The fireplace is a centerpiece in our home. The investment of time was ABSOLUTELY worth it. I was so worried the grout area would look odd with paint on it. I think that is what had me the most stressed. But I worried for nothing.
Doing this fireplace makeover has brought brightened up a dingy, yellowing space. Painting the slab not only covered up years of stains, but is now a non-porous surface that can easily be cleaned and dusted.
The fireplace will look even better when we can finish the ceiling. Months before I updated the fireplace, our son knocked down the popcorn from the ceiling. I can’t wait to finish that project. We are thinking of doing “faux” shiplap on the ceiling (1/4 inch plywood cut into 6 inch boards), and vertical shiplap flanking either side of the fireplace.
Speaking of … below is a peek at the herringbone pattern “shiplap” we are putting up in our entry… SO excited to get that project wrapped! And in case you missed it, here’s my post about the Ikea cabinets we put in last year that TOTALLY transformed our basement hallway.
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