Fireplace Face Lift: From Old to Bold

Amber Foster
by Amber Foster
4 Materials
$20
1 Hour
Easy
I just had to give our fireplace a little face lift before Christmas time came around this year! This is a super simple, inexpensive project you can easily complete in half a day with very little skill necessary.
As you can see, this girl is in all her original 1984 glory. The mantel is an outdated golden oak, that I previously tried to strip unsuccessfully, a brass insert and horrible brick.
The first thing I did was used my handy dandy tape dispenser to mask off all of the glass (you can find this life saving product here at my affiliate link:http://amzn.to/2DthAES ) and tape paper around the edge of the insert.  I then used heat safe spray paint to spray paint the brass insert black. I loved this product because it only had to dry for an hour before you could start up a fire.
After that dried, I removed all of the tape and painted the mantle white.  You can sand it if you like.  I didn't do any sanding and so far, so good.  I then took some of the left over white paint and watered it down a little to create a white wash for the brick.  I used about 3 parts paint to 1 part water, but I would recommend testing a little spot out and letting it dry to make sure you have the right consistency. Unlike, usual painting, it will dry lighter than when it is applied. Here is a video on that process:
Ta Da!  Quick, easy, inexpensive and sooo much better!  This will blend so much better with my farmhouse decor. Let me know which you liked better in the comments.  The before or after? And stay tuned to my facebook page to for upcoming videos on how to style this beauty!
Suggested materials:
  • White Paint   (Hardware Store)
  • Heat proof Spray Paint   (Hardware Store)
  • Paint Brush   (Hardware Store)
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Amber Foster
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Trina Roulston Trina Roulston on Jan 08, 2018

    Our brick is already painted a shiny white.. I would love to get the white wash effect like yours! Any ideas? Yours turned out beautifully!

  • Lois Dee Lois Dee on Jan 15, 2018

    Did you paint the grout too, or just the exposed brick surface?

  • Joy Joy on Jan 25, 2018

    I will certainly try this, your's is beautiful!! Did you have to use a special fire resistance paint or regular pain for the bricks?

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  • Susan Susan on Jan 08, 2018

    Wow! Who knew so little money could do so much? Well done!

  • Den5093343 Den5093343 on Jan 21, 2018

    Thanks so much. This is what I want to do to my downstairs fireplace and did not know the ratio of paint to water. Yours is beautiful. I am doing a craft/setting room in my basement and the fireplace needs a lift.


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