What is best refinish for kiva fireplace?

found this info for you Carol

https://www.pinterest.com/arizonarobin/my-kiva-fireplace/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/450289662736405090/

If you like a rustic, textured look, plaster is an ideal material for your fireplace surround. It also takes paint extremely well, so you can customize its look with a wide array of colors. However, when painting a plaster fireplace surround, you must do it the right way or you run the risk of a splotchy, uneven finish. The most important part of the process is the preparation, but using the right materials is also key.

Cure

While paint adheres well to a rough plaster surface, you can't paint a freshly plastered fireplace surround right away. Fresh plaster is full of moisture that prevents the paint from taking to the surface. If you don't wait for the water to come out of the plaster, it may force its way up to the surface, causing bubbles, blisters and poor adhesion for the paint. Before painting your new plaster fireplace, allow it to dry for 30 to 60 days before beginning the painting process. Typically, a month is sufficient time but if your fireplace is located in a room with high humidity, you may need to wait longer for all of the water evaporate. When you're dealing with a previously painted plaster fireplace surround, there's no need to wait.

Prepare

Whatever the age of the plaster fireplace surround, you must prepare the surface properly before painting. With a freshly plastered surround, you should use a soft brush to dust the surface and remove any loose pieces of plaster. When the surface is particularly rough, you can sand it slightly. For a previously painted plaster fireplace, you need to clean the surface to ensure that the paint adheres properly. Use your usual household cleanser to wipe down the entire surround, and rinse with a mixture of water and vinegar – but make sure to let the plaster dry for at least 48 hours before painting.

Prime

As with any surface, a good primer can help paint better adhere to your plaster fireplace and provide a smoother finish so it's a key step in the process. However, before applying primer, check your plaster surround for any surface flaws. You can repair them with patching plaster or joint compound, but you need to seal the areas with white shellac before moving on to the primer. With a previously painted plaster fireplace, you can use either a latex or alkyd primer. For a new plaster surround, both types of primers can work, but an alkyd primer is usually a better option.

Paint

When selecting paint for your plaster fireplace surround, match it to the type of primer that you used. As with primers, you can use either latex or alkyd paint on both new and previously painted plaster fireplace surrounds. However, with new plaster, alkyd paint typically works better. Since plaster has a rough surface, opt for a flat or eggshell finish for your fireplace. Because these finishes don't reflect much light, they are effective in hiding any flaws or imperfections in your fireplace surround's surface.

You can paint it

https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=paint%20fireplace

heres a site that may help you out

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/paint-plaster-fireplace-surround-36962.html

Here are some ideas: https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=paint%20fireplace

You could paint it or replaster.

Here's a post that might help https://www.houzz.com/discussions/228368/need-paint-help-for-my-kiva-fireplace

It depends on how much refinishing it needs. Traditionally, they are the original adobe brick or painted white.

Hi Carol, here are some ideas & instruction, hope they help you out,

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/paint-plaster-fireplace-surround-36962.html

https://www.pinterest.ca/arizonarobin/my-kiva-fireplace/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/450289662736405090/ if that would help you