Whitewashed Fireplace
3 Materials
$20
3 Hours
Easy
I just moved and had a 1990s era house renovated. I knew the red brick fireplace had to change too!
Too dark, no good
I had leftover flat wall paint (Sherwin Williams Extra White) that I mixed half and half with water. Watch out, it's drippy! I vacuumed and wiped down the brick but didn't worry about soot stains. I then taped off around the fireplace and insert.
First coat going on
I used a decent but not new synthetic brush. The brick is a little hard on the bristles. Stir your whitewash often, and you may have to use a combination of brushing and dabbing to work the paint into crevices. Don't stress over areas not matching. You'll be back.
Second coat starting
After two coats I went back over areas that were too dark. If an area had too much paint, I sprayed it with water that diluted the color wash and wiped it with a rag. The entire project was done in about three hours. Cost was zero as I had all the materials, but estimates are below.
This really changed the look of the whole room and I love the depth a wash gives over just painting the brick!
All done!
Comments
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2 of 17 comments
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looks great but have doubts about using acrylic paint.
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I just did mine today. Very happy with the results
Frequently asked questions
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I would worry about the paint being flammable as well, especially if you have any rogue sparks or wood splinters that fall out of the firebox. Is there a paint on the market designated as safe to use on fireplace brick work?
I have a satin finish paint in white I used for trim. What do you think? Flat paint better?
i have a wooden mantel color tan what color for the fireplace