It’s done. The brick is white! But let’s back up.
Let me explain why I decided to put brush to brick. The brick and mortar were in good structural condition {no cracks, no crumbling} but I couldn’t get past the reddish tones, the stains and the rough texture {it was nearly impossible to wipe down}. HH and I toyed with the idea of painting the brick fireplace during renovation and never really protected it from the renovation mess. There were chunks of joint compound, caulk and other gloppy stuff dried to the mantel, hearth and brick.
Even after scraping everything off with an electric scraper, the stains remained. I tried soaking them in a vinegar + water solution and scrubbing but that didn’t do much. A stronger chemical solution may have helped but I don’t like using harsh chemicals indoors. At that point, I decided 100% to paint. It was something I had been leaning towards since day one. HH still had reservations but he trusted me. That’s trust, people!
To prep, I removed the gas insert frame and covered the gas insert with an old towel to protect it. I vacuumed the entire fireplace surround then sprayed on the same vinegar + water solution {1:2 ratio} and wiped it as best I could with a rag. Then I let it dry thoroughly for 24 hours. I taped off the floor around the fireplace with painter’s tape then set to work painting. I had a surprisingly good experience with the Clark + Kensington primer and paint in one in the everything room so decided to try it on the fireplace. I had heard about all sorts of tricks for painting brick {use a separate primer, use a nappy roller, use a smooth roller, water down the paint, apply glue before painting to fill in nooks and crannies, etc.} but I chose to stick with what was familiar – a gallon of primer + paint and a 2″ angled brush – and keep it simple. No funny business.
I had the paint color-matched to Benjamin Moore white dove. You know my history with having paint color-matched between brands, right? It hasn’t always worked. But I wanted the fireplace to be the same color as the rest of the trim in the house and I wanted to try the C+K primer and paint in one so I took a chance. It paid off! The color was spot on and the primer + paint offered great coverage. It took only two coats plus some touch-up. I did apply a third coat to the top of the hearth just because it sees a lot of action in our house. The brick soaked up a half gallon of paint. {I’ll be using the leftover paint to finally paint the interior doors!}
It took me ~5 hours to apply the first coat to the roughly 13’x4′ fireplace surround. I used my paint brush to push the paint into all the little pinholes and crannies. The second coat went faster – maybe 3 hours? My hand was hurting by the time I finished but it was so worth it.
The white brick really brightens up the family room! I’m not going to lie. It was a shock at first. I liken it to a brunette going blonde. But we’re on our second day of living with a white fireplace and the novelty is wearing off. It’s feeling less ! and more :)
I opted for a semi gloss finish so the fireplace is completely wipeable now. No more vacuuming brick – yay! Many of you wanted to know if I was going to try whitewashing first. I didn’t. Whitewash gives a more rustic or country feel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It can look great in the right context but I don’t think it’s appropriate for our midcentury ranch.
The height of the mantel coincides with the height of the planking in the everything room. That was premeditated. When we installed the horizontal planking in the mudroom, we were already thinking about painting the fireplace and figured the planking feature would look best if it were the same height as the fireplace. There’s definitely a better flow visually now that they are the same color too.
What’s left to do? We need to add quarter round along the bottom of the fireplace, caulk where the drywall meets the mantel and finish off the area above the mantel/frame the TV with horizontal planking. We’re going to live with the gas insert black for now but might tweak it in the future.
As with just about any space in our house, the fireplace wall is still a work in progress but it looks so much better with a few coats of white paint on the brick. The painted brick is the fresh, clean backdrop I was hoping for. HH and the kids have confessed to liking the white too. Whew.
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, renovation