How to German Schmear a Rock Fireplace
Have you heard about German Schmear? Chip and Joanna Gaines of the show Fixer Upper made it popular years ago when they did this technique on the exterior of one of the homes they remodeled. I thought I'd give it a try on our rock fireplace, and I am soooo glad I did! You won't believe the difference!
The first step was to mix up some mortar mix with some water until it was the consistence of peanut butter.
Since I did this process on a rock wall, I decided the easiest way to do it would be to scoop some into a ziplock bag so I could squeeze it out in between the rocks. This is similar to a piping bag that a cake decorator might use. It just gave me a way to control the amount of mortar I was using and where it was going.
Next, I squeezed the mortar out of the ziplock bag and in between the rocks. Then, I spread it out evenly over the rocks with my hand.
Before it dried, I used a large sponge to wipe off the areas I wanted to show through. This gives the rock wall that old German feel.
Once you're done, you'll want to let it dry completely. A lot of people who try this technique are always shocked at how white it looks at first. Just give it a few days and you're eyes will get adjusted to it, and you'll be in love! Be sure to check out the blog post to see the before. This was a huge transformation!
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Lovely job! Do you happen to have a BEFORE photo, for comparison? Thank you if so.
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Wow! A major change in the feel of your lving room. I love the new look.
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