So I Painted Our Fireplace

When we first saw our house one of the first things that I wanted to do was to white wash our fireplace. The fireplace clashed with the rest of the space that had the peachy-beige painted walls and all the orangey wood!  Once I stained the mantel and painted the walls and trim I was surprised to find that the fireplace did not bother me so much anymore.  It got moved way down on my priorities.

I didn't really want to paint the brick because I felt like it was somewhat wrong to paint brick….kind of like painting wood.  So wrong!  You can tell I have gotten past this “you can’t paint wood” feeling, but brick? I decided to white wash it instead.  This sat way better with me.  When I was researching the best ways to whitewash brick, I decided that I really like the fully white fireplaces better then the white washed.  So crisp and clean looking and with two little ones making messes all over I can use all the help I can get in making my house feel more crisp and clean!

 Take note that this brick was ugly and very  low quality (at least that’s what it looks like) and putting up a cool stone fireplace is simply not in the budget these days ;).  It was a type of brick that almost looked fake because of how it was marbled.  Definitely not horrible but not great either. It actually looks a lot nicer in the pictures. :)

After experimenting with making chalk paint for my “The Chalk Paint Dresser Experiment” http://bytrialanderica.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-am-super-excited-to-share-this.html, I found that I could easily make my paint whatever consistency that I wanted, even a nice brick-like texture. 

So one night last week, I was staring at my fireplace and thinking “hmm I don’t really have anything to do tonight. Might as well paint the fireplace.”  Sometimes being impulsive doesn't work out so well for me, but it did this time! So I grabbed a can of the white paint that I had been using for my doors and baseboards.  This paint actually was a high gloss paint, which is considered a no no for chalk paint but I did not want to buy anymore paint. It actually didn't mater at all that I used a glossier paint. I took some of the plaster that I had left over from before and dumped some into the paint that I had. 

What you need:

-        

-          -  ½ Gallon of Paint (Approximately)

-          -  1 cup of plaster (Approximately) 

-         - Water with a little dish soap in it

-          -Rag

-          -Painters tape

-        -  Paint brush

-        -  Drop Cloth

I started off using approximately 1/3 cup of plaster for every 2 cups of paint (2T water optional. You can add the water if you want a less chunky consistency. 

You really have some flexibility here with the mixing.  I wanted it good and thick, so I did not add water and sprinkled a little more plaster until I got the consistency that I wanted.  I did end up adding a tiny bit of water a while later, because my paint started getting too thick the longer it sat.

  I taped the walls around the fireplace and the mantel.

Next, I gave the fireplace a quick cleaning.  This was a bit tricky due to the texture of the bricks.  I used a rag and a bit of soapy water.  I did not put too much effort into this. 

Then, I got to painting! I used just a standard paint brush that I already had in the garage.  One of the great things about chalk paint is that you do not get brush marks.  This was great for the fireplace because I wanted it to look like white brick instead of just painted brick. 

Finished product-

The texture came out just right.  It still feels and looks like brick!

This project cost a whopping $0!  I had all the supplies from my previous projects.   This might be my favorite part of the project.  Got to love free! 

What I would do different:

-         - I would have done this sooner.  So quick and easy and such a difference.

I would absolutely do this again.  I love how this came out and my husband loves it too, which makes me happy!  I did not realize the difference that this would make in the space.  The whole room feels bigger and brighter.  I actually prefer a more stone rustic look so I was not totally sold on the white, however, it would have cost a lot more to put up stone!  If you have an ugly fireplace or are just looking to brighten up a space this is something that I would definitely recommend. 

Comments and questions are always welcome!  Good luck with all your projects and thanks for reading about mine!

Erica