Dramatic Results Of A
White Painted Brick Fireplace
contributed by Homemade Ginger
Ok, well maybe a can of primer and a can of paint…and some leftover blue wall paint from the kitchen. That's all it took to transform our living room over the weekend. I absolutely love how it turned out. I've been wanting to paint our fireplace since we moved into our house a little over 1 1/2 years ago. Get ready for some amazing before and after shots!
To be super dramatic, this is what the living room looked like when we bought the house:
BEFORE
Lovely dark wood paneling everywhere and really nasty carpet.
Then, we painted the walls and wood. The sellers put in hardwood floors…
Then, after looking for a bigger area rug for that long, I found this one for super cheap:
So, we added the rug which really helped…but I still haven't liked the brick fireplace and ugly brass and black fireplace screen…
It took some convincing, but finally Reid was on board with the idea. Don't get me wrong, I do love exposed brick in some settings…but not here.
I also had the idea of using some leftover soft aqua paint from our kitchen to paint the backs of the shelves. I figured it would make the objects pop…
Ok, get ready…
AFTER
Ta Da!!
It makes the room feel so much brighter, airy and modern!
It really only took one coat of primer and one coat of paint.
And the larger area rug makes a world of difference.
The most annoying part of the process was painting in between each brick with a brush before rolling on the paint. If you attempt this, use an old brush that you don't care about because it will be destroyed by the end.
I had fun rearranging some objects and adding in a lot of white things to showcase them against the now blue backs of the shelves. (recognize that owl?)
I even spray painted some old picture frames white to keep everything bright.
The fireplace screen needed a few more extra coats of paint. It's not as smooth as I'd like it to be, but you don't really notice unless you are up close. Maybe we will eventually get a new one, but this does the trick for now.
We just had to use a razor to scrape the excess paint off the windows.
So, if you have brick you don't like, go paint it! It's a little gutsy, but totally worth it.
To recap the project…
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Next, we will tackle those beams…and hopefully paint the ceiling fan.. But, that will require a very high ladder and some upper body strength. 🙂
Has anyone else had brick painting success?
>Wow looks like a totally different room! It is Lovely! So bright, I love that! Great job! the rug is beautiful too!
>You did a fantastic job. You have a totally new feel in the room.
>That is beautiful!!!! What a change!
>Wow, that really looks great! When we moved into our home in 1966, the first thing my mom did was paint the brick fireplace white. I can't imagine it any other way!
>What a great transformation! It really brings out the great colors in your decor.
>what a difference!!!!!! i love it. i think i saw that rug on target.com. looks great. 🙂
>This is beautiful! I almost clicked off the post before I got to where you painted the fireplace itself. I thought – well, it's better. Then i scrolled a little more and saw the white brick and blue background in the shelf. Oh my! Lovely…lovely…lovely!!
>what a beautiful transformation! It's like going from the 80's to now with just a bit of paint (and elbow grease!). great job 🙂
>This looks fantastic!
>Beautiful transformation! I'm struggling with a similar dilemma but haven't convinced myself to just go for it!
>Oh…you know I'm a sucker for an inexpensive, but dramatic remodel….and this one is gorgeous! Great job! I like that you just went for it…it paid off!
XO,
Candace
>wow, what a difference. It looks great!
>Can you hear me screaming!!!!???? I have to have that rug and I have seen it at Haverty's but you said cheap, where did you get it cheap? It is perfect for my house. Oh I hope I can get it!
>Great transformation!
>Amazing! Looks completely different and I love the ways you mixed the colors together. You would have never known.
>Looks great! Love the new rug and the color you chose for the backs of the shelves too! I did a white wash on my brick fireplace and it was a huge improvement! Can't go wrong with white!
>You have totally transfromed the room great job
>The paint on the fireplace screen is ok? It's not combustible? Don't get me wrong, the room looks AMAZING, I'm just wondering why I'm buying high temperature paint if I don't need to.
>LOVE this post as I'm considering painting my fireplace…pretty much assures me i should!
>Love your main wall color…what is it?
I love what you have done! I’m planning on painting my brick fireplace white too so I’m looking for ideas. I also love the area rug and blue backs that you added to the shelves. I think the black rimmed mirror is a little heavy for the room though. Did you think of painting the trim in the same blue? I think it would be really pretty!
What kind of paint did you use for the screen?? Does it have to be special for heat? I have the exact same screen and want to paint it white like yours.