Charcoal Grey Painted Fireplace

$60
3 Days
Easy
The minute I laid eyes on the concrete faux stone and sauna wood fireplace in my new home, I envisioned it painted a deep, charcoal grey. I had already decided I would be painting the taupe walls and skinny oak trim a crisp white, and loved the idea of a dramatic contrast. Painting the wood and concrete the same colour helped modernize the shape and create a bold focal point.
Here's a peek at the before:
Painting the fireplace was easy. I used a high heat enamel spray on the vents and doors. Although gold is on-trend right now, it's not my style and even if it was, I wouldn't want to highlight the weird vents. BUT, keeping the gold is definitely a viable option for anyone with a similar fireplace. For the stone and wood, I used a paint & primer in one, in a satin finish to keep it from looking too flat.
Even before our furniture was moved in, the living room already looked dramatically different: more modern and fresh - and more like us!
I like how the light catches the mantle and reflects the tiny bit of sheen in the paint finish. In certain lights, I'm almost fooled into thinking it might be slate or some kind of natural stone. Almost!
On either side of the fireplace, I hung my collection of antique postcards framed in simple floating frames. Each one features a scene from Lake Superior and the area around my city, from 100 years ago. Because my home is situated on Lake Superior, it's a sweet addition and guests love pouring over them, trying to recognize places they've seen.
I love the painted fireplace and am so happy that I could make such a huge change with only a gallon of paint and a little bit of patience.
Dans_le_Lakehouse
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Tammy Tammy on May 30, 2018

    It is gorgeous, really one of the coolest I’ve seen. Also, where are those white shekves/bookcases from?

  • Amy Amy on Oct 08, 2018

    Love😍😍😍 Can I ask what paint color you used?

  • Fidel Zeigler Fidel Zeigler on Nov 23, 2020

    This is stunning! Amazing job! The color you choose is exactly what I’m looking for. Perhaps just one or two shades lighter though. Please tell me how you created it? I’m hoping to stain/paint our bricks in the front patio.

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  • April April on Jan 06, 2018

    Stunning. You have impeccable taste and style. A true show stopper.

  • Cau17335338 Cau17335338 on Jan 18, 2018

    i love it! We have a red brown brick fireplace in our basement and the brick covers the whole wall. Was going to paint white but I think I like the dark gray better! Will have to do this!

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