Dear Jane,

I am wanting to paint my dark brown fireplace brick......fireplace was probably installed in mid 30's (house built in 1928), and we don't use it (electric); I am want to spruce up my living room for the holidays.....any suggestions...??? I have beautiful design wallpaper, a little gloss to it off white/ivory colour....wanting to paint the fireplace ecru or something close to that....? I have a lot of oak trim, windows and french doors made of oak also.....

Thanks for any suggestions‼‼

I love the website! Very informative...!

Vannessa

Dear Vannessa,

Thank you for your Ask Jane question – and welcome to the Be Jane community!

Sounds like you're going to have a beautiful mantel for the holidays! In regards to painting the brick, it is actually very easy.

Before you get started you'll want to tape around the fireplace and put plastic down so as not to get paint on the walls or the flooring around it.

If the brick has been painted, then we recommend that you begin by using TSP (trisodium phospaphate) to clean it. This is a cleaner that will take off any residue that would make it more difficult to get the new coat of paint to attach to it. It will also de-gloss the paint, allowing for better adhesion. The only thing we can't say enough is to make sure that you rinse it off very well. The oddest part about TSP is while it helps the paint adhere if it leaves a residue, the paint will not stay on.

If the brick hasn't been painted then skip the previous step. Start by sweeping and/or vacuuming the brick. From this point you will want to put on a pair of gloves, protective eyewear and cover you hair. The last thing you to get for Christmas is ecru highlights!

The way to prepare the brick for painting is to first apply a coat of primer. Follow the instructions on the can as to waiting time in between coats. (Make sure you have adequate ventilation as primers and paints can create harmful fumes.) Once the primer is dry apply your first coat of paint. As for what type of paint sheen you should purchase, we recommend that you pick up a satin or a semi-gloss. To understand the differences check out our article on the differences between paint sheens.

Knowing that the fireplace is a dark brown color now and you want to paint it a light color, it would be safe to assume it will take a minimum of two coats to fully cover the brick. For application, you may want to use both a roller for the fronts of the brick and a brush to get in to the crevices.

For a little different look, we did find a product that you can paint on to your brick that will make it look like new, lightly colored brick, instead of painted brick. You'll find the information at Brick-anew.com. We can't say that we've ever used it, but it looked interesting.

We hope this helps! Let us know how it turns out.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at any time. We're here for you!

Best of luck with all your Jane projects!

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at any time. We're here for you!

We hope this helps!

Hugs 'n hammers,

Jane