How to Whitewash Brick and Paint your Brassy Fireplace

To me, a fireplace is what makes a home FEEL homey. It is usually the focal point of a room and is so fun to decorate for each holiday and season. If you can’t tell, I LOVE a fireplace. We are in the process of finalizing plans for our home build and one thing that was a must have on my list is a fireplace! But, what if you DO have a fireplace, but it is simply outdated and not working for your style anymore?? What if you don’t love it and are longing for something more updated and stylish, WITHOUT costing you an arm and a leg? If this is you, then THIS is the post for you!

In this post, I want to share with you how to whitewash your brick AND how to paint over that brassy finish. 2 for the price of one here today, folks! Doesn’t get much better than that.

Now, I have one little confession to make before I get started. You see, I did this job for a sweet lady, but I didn’t think I was going to post it when I did it. In all honesty, I simply didn’t think about it. I did the job and forgot. It is gettin’ real in here today. SUCH a bad blogger! BUT, I did manage to get a couple before and after pictures with an IPhone, and when I got my head on straight and knew that I definitely wanted to share how easy this is with y’all, I figured I would give it a go with as much details as possible without the “how-to” pictures. Forgive me, please? 

I will start with the brick!

Supplies Needed for Whitewashing Brick:

White paint of any kind (I used a chalky type paint JUST because it is what I had and I knew it didn’t matter)

Cup (about the size of a disposable red solo cup)

Water

Paint Brush (Any will do- I used a chip brush like this one)

Old Rag

Brick 🙂

Here is the fireplace BEFORE:

It was a lovely enough fireplace, but she wanted it spruced up. She asked me to white wash it and paint the brass. I had never done either before, but I knew I could…and I did. YOU can too!

To whitewash the brick, I took a small disposable cup and put about 1/2 paint and 1/2 water. If you want less coverage, add more water…and if you want more coverage, add more paint.

This mixture made the paint VERY watery, and that is how you want it to be.

Next, I took my chip brush and started painting the mixture on, brick by brick. I started in an area that wasn’t going to be seen much, so that I could make sure it was going to look right. I suggest doing this. I also suggest doing 1 brick at a time. Paint a brick and piece of grout and then wipe it off with your old rag. This removes the majority of the paint, leaving that “washed” look that we are going for!

After a couple of bricks, you can tell how awesome it is going to look and you will be super excited. Keep doing this until ALL of the grout and bricks are covered. 

EASY PEAZY, LEMON SQUEAZY!

This is what it looked like AFTER I whitewashed it! (And after I had painted the brass…but I will get to that in a second.)

WOW! What a difference! Isn’t it gorgeous??

Now, to the brass…

This is super easy as well, but it was a little more time consuming that I had anticipated. Read on and I will share why.

Supplies Needed for Painting the Brass on a Fireplace:

Foam Brush (Here is a whole set so you can decide which size you need for your specific job)

Rustoleum High Heat Protective Paint (This paint is specifically designed for high heat resistance, so it is a must that you use this kind. It protects up to 1000 degrees)

Basically, you paint this like you would anything. It is a very runny paint, so start with a small amount and paint it on. It will NOT cover well at first at all. I was like, OH CRAP…this will take me forever…but once it dried (which didn’t take long at all), the second coat went on much much better. It took me 3 coats in all to get full coverage. The foam brush cut down on any brush marks, and I was very pleased with the final result.

NOW, about the hard part of this…

A lot of the brass screens have brass INSIDE of the glass as well. Not all of them do, but many do. I had a very very hard time getting my brush in there to get that part so that you could not see the brass shining through the glass. I had to get a very small paintbrush to get in there, and it took a long time. I have to be honest about that part. Of course, all are made differently, so yours may not be made like that, and if it isn’t- GOOD for you!

Like I mentioned, the black didn’t take long to dry at all, so give it just a little time before starting on the next coat. 

Here is the fireplace NOW after she got it all decorated!

The difference is literally NIGHT and DAY!

Here is a side by side:

   

Crazy, huh? Now, go tackle yours and send me pictures to grace_brooke@msn.com

I can’t wait to see yours!

PIN THIS BAD BOY FOR LATER!

Follow along on Pinterest, where I pin LOTS of amazing inspiration!

 

Last Updated on January 11, 2017