How to lighten a black brick fireplace?

Sue Webb
by Sue Webb

Former homeowners painted brick fireplace black! How can I lighten it?

  5 answers
  • I would repaint it. Trying to strip off the black paint would be a big job, Sue.

  • Nan W. Nan W. on Mar 14, 2019

    Sue: Repaint!!!


    Clean the brick with your favorite cleaner, then PRIME (for black you may need two coats!) then apply two coats of a GOOD latex paint.


    I changed my brick fireplace from a dark grey to cream... here's a photo of it! Good luck!



  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on Mar 14, 2019

    Since they painted it, you can’t dye it with masonry dye,

    so, you’ll have to repaint it.

    You can dilute the paint & try to whitewash it, but it requires a lot of patience and a very stable consistent stroke of the brush.


    Someone white washed my fireplace and it looked pink, so I painted it, after I caulked in the bricks’ natural “chinks”. I prefer a more formal, less rustic brick face.

  • Hi Sue, check out this blog about white washing a wall with chalk mineral paint: https://athomewithashley.com/how-to-white-wash-stone-with-chalk-paint/

  • Ebbjdl Ebbjdl on Mar 14, 2019

    Sue,. Home Depot's paint department can help you use something to break the paint down from black to a lighter color, then paint it. Aloha!