Paint a Brick Fireplace

(Apologies for the way this post appears - I can not get it to look normal and I give up)

This is a super old project, but it's a goody. If you have a brick fireplace that you've been thinking about painting for awhile I hope this inspires you to get it done. It's intimidating at first - for sure! Once you do one fireplace though, you'll never EVER be afraid again. It's so easy! Just load up the paint brush and roller and slap on the paint. I always paint with Latex Water base and low VOC paint. I prefer Valspar, but the goal is the same no matter what brand of paint you use...Get the Paint up and do it on a low cost budget. Well, that's my goal. If you're using the fireplace a lot then consider high heat paint. In our case we have a fireplace screen and we tested ahead of time to make sure the brick doesnt get hot with the screen closed. It didn't. Phew!

Here's the low down....

BEFORE

The fireplace was prepped. I cleaned it up by vacuuming it and then cleaning it up with soap and water. After it dries, your fireplace is ready to paint. If you have a lot of soot then you'll want to really scrub it with a brush. Our fireplace had some on it (notice that black stuff in the picture?). It came right off with a soft brush and a tiny bit of soap.

Next apply a primer. I prefer water base latex paint. In this case I used Valspar Primer. Get a brush that you don't mind ruining because you'll be working it into the cracks between the bricks. If needed, put painters tape on the wall to protect it from getting paint on it. I rarely use tape. Once I put the primer on and it was dry to the touch, I started with my top coat. Again, I used water based latex paint. I went with Valpar Saffron Ivory. Love that color! It's a milky, creamy white. I had to apply two coats, but I've read other blogs that stated they had to apply up to 5 coats. Yuck! My brick wasn't very porous apparently? Thank God! It's hard work, but so worth it!

Here's the FINAL RESULT

 

Have you ever painted a brick fireplace? How'd your project go? I hope you've enjoyed this post.