Did you just buy a new home with an old fireplace that you want to spruce up a bit so that it looks brand new? It is quite difficult and expensive to actually tear out all of the bricks from the fireplace’s face so that you can replace them, so your only option may be to paint over the existing surface. This is also a tactic that you can turn to if someone else painted over the fireplace already and you do not like the color that they chose. However, this is different than just painting an interior wall, so there are a few tips that you need to know before you begin.
1. Check the material that was used.
First, you must know what material was used to make the fireplace in the first place. If it is brick, what type is it? If it is stone, is it made from sandstone, some type of stone veneer, fieldstones or something else entirely? Do not begin until you know exactly what type of surface you will be painting so that you can be sure that the paint you have will work with that surface.
2. Clean it thoroughly.
You really have to clean the surface with great care, or the paint is just going to peel off when the loose materials below it start to work themselves free. You can use a wire brush, a toothbrush and even a damp rag, all in different steps, to get rid of everything from loose mortar to dust. As you learn more about Brick-Anew fireplace paint, you will find that it adheres best to a surface that is as clean as the day that it was installed.
3. Tape around the outsides.
The outside walls of the fireplace probably come up against the end wall in your home. To keep the paint from spreading to that wall, you need to run a layer of painter’s tape around the fireplace. It is often good to do two strips next to each other just to minimize the chances of accidentally touching the wall. When you are done, you can simply peel the tape back off and you will have perfect lines, all without having to worry about painting them perfectly in the first place.
4. Use enough layers to cover everything completely.
As you learn more about Brick-Anew fireplace paint, you will find that painting over different materials and different colors can take multiple layers. Do not just assume that one will do it, as the original bricks could show through. Make sure that you use enough different layers that the paint covers in a solid front.
If you use these tips, you can transform the fireplace in your home. Just pick out the color that works best with your sense of style and with the rest of the house. If you want to change a rustic fireplace to make it look modern, for instance, it is often good to go with a clean, white coat of paint.
This post was written by John Griffin.
Photo credit: domdeen on freedigital photos dot net
Leave a Reply