Ugly Stone Fireplace Makeover

by Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom

We bought a new house that has this massive stone fireplace. I loved the fireplace at first, but as we started painting and decorating our home to our taste I started to hate the fireplace more and more, but I had no idea what to do with it.
After seeing my sister-in-laws beautiful fireplace transformation from white washing her brick fireplace, I got up the nerve to try it myself. I am soooo glad I did it!
You can get the full DIY and see the rest of the living room here.

Before and after

Isn't the difference amazing?! And from start to finish, this project took me about 2 hours.

ugly stone fireplace makeover, concrete masonry, fireplaces mantels

First, wash down the stone or brick a bit to get all the dust and loose dirt off of it. I just used a damp towel to clean it off good.

I used leftover white paint I had from painting our living room walls. You could use any white paint you have. I mixed my mixture about 50/50 paint and water. If you want to see more of the stone/brick coming through then you can use more water. If you want more of the stone/brick covered up then use more paint. If you are unsure, start with more water and you can always do another coat.

Get you brush, paint mixture and an old towel. You will want to start at the top because your mixture is quite runny it is going to drip down. Start brushing on your paint. I worked in sections of about 3' X 3' wide so that I felt in control. Once you have your paint on, use an old towel to sort of rub it in a bit as well as wipe it off a bit. As the paint dries, it will dry a tad bit whiter, but you want it to get in all the cracks good, but not continue to drip down.

Work your way top to bottom, side to side until you get it all on. Then I would suggest letting it dry for an hour or two and then see how you like it. I had some stones that were very dark that they still sort of stuck out. On those stones, I brushed on a bit more paint.

I also had stones that were a lot smoother than the others and the paint didn't want to grab as good either. Those stones got an extra coat of paint as well.

Now leave the room for a few hours to dry completely so that you can see what it will look like once it's dry. When you walk in the room, after you pick your jaw up off the floor, see if there's still areas you'd like to add more paint. Otherwise, enjoy it! A new look to your fireplace will give your room a completely new look and feel.

Here's another picture of the full room. The fireplace blends in MUCH better now.

You can grab the full tutorial for this andmore DIY's at CrazyDiyMom.com

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 6 questions

Cecilia on Jan 10, 2017
How do you watch TV, with the sofas placed the way they are?

2
Pav12707785 on Jan 19, 2017
How to make desk for computer?

1
Elizabeth T on Jul 18, 2018

Hi....we have a very similar home. Older, mountain home, old lava rock fireplace and the original 60's paneling, that I cannot remove. They nailed AND glued it on, hence I already ruined one wall taking off paneling. I'll paint the rock fireplace and ask... What kind of paint did you paint your walls with?

1

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3 of 109 comments

Shelley Spellman on Feb 22, 2017
What a great job you did. It looks really good. So does the rest of the room.

2 Reply
- Jennifer | CrazyDiyMom on Feb 22, 2017
  Thank you Shelley!
  
  Like
Donna on Dec 02, 2020

THAT LOOKS 👀 SO NICE!

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