Easy Weekend Fireplace Makeover + Best Paint to Use

This fireplace makeover was such a fun, quick, and easy weekend project. I am extremely pleased with how it turned out and can’t wait to show you in today’s post.

I also have a ton of tips for picking the best paint for brick fireplaces for you.

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The fireplace was one of our favorite features of the house when we first bought it. Thoughts of many nights snuggling up with my family next to a warm fire bombarded my mind as soon as I laid eyes on this huge fireplace.

Even though I was super excited about having a fireplace, I did, however, know I would want to give it a makeover. The white paint color isn’t bad but I wasn’t in love with it. Since I want the fireplace to be the main focal point, I decided I wanted to paint the fireplace BLACK. A darker color was going to give me the dramatic vibe I’m looking for. 

I did however know I would want to give it a makeover once. I was okay with the white color but wasn’t in love with it. Since I want the fireplace to be the main focal point, I decided I wanted to paint the fireplace BLACK.

BEST PAINT FOR BRICK FIREPLACES

There were several things that we took into consideration when choosing the best paint for the fireplace. The two biggest things being which would give me a matte look and had high durability. Because let’s be honest, even though you shouldn’t need to heavily clean the fireplace, my kids ALWAYS find ways to get stuff dirty. 

Here is a look at the different paint for brick fireplaces:

• Flat paint is matte but is the hardest to maintain. Even though I don’t think I will need to scrub my fireplace often, I still want it to withstand a good scrub if needed. The pro to flat paint is it conceals any imperfections the best. 

• Satin is a very durable paint but does not give off quite the matte look that I am going for. Because Satin has a higher gloss/ luster to it compared to Eggshell, it will show flaws a little bit more compared to eggshell or flat paint. Satin is still a great paint option for fireplaces.

• Eggshell paint finish is right in between flat and satin. It will do an amazing job at hiding any of the flaws in the brick as well as giving off a gorgeous matte look.

• Semi-gloss is the easiest to clean compared to the other sheens but will have the shiniest luster. Semi-gloss paint will show a lot more imperfections and give more glare. Semi-gloss and (high) gloss paint are the best options for exterior brick. Ultimately it depends on the look that you are going for.

Best Type of Painting Brick

• Latex paint and latex acrylic paint are good choices for high temperatures. These are heat resistant to up 180-200 degrees.
• Chalk paint, limewash, and whitewash are great options too.

We decided to go with an eggshell finish in the color Black Magic by Sherwin Williams. Black Magic is such a gorgeous black paint color and I am obsessed. It is definitely up there as one of my favorite black paint colors. 

Primer for Fireplace Brick

Priming your fireplace is an important step in this entire painting process. Primer helps the paint adhere to the bricks since bricks and the mortar lines are porous. Priming is going to make painting the fireplace a lot easier and quicker.

A good primer for indoor fireplaces is KILZ 2 Interior. Note that you may need to do more than one coat of primer and you will have the best results with two coats. 

RELATED POST: Extreme Modern Cottage Powder Room Makeover

Tools for Painting Fireplaces

• Concrete, Block, and Brick Paint Roller
• paint tray
• 1″ multipurpose paintbrush
• painters tape
• drop cloth

Simple Steps on How We Painted Our Fireplace

1. First thing, prep the fireplace. Brian pulled out any nails and screws that were in the brick. All the command hooks that we used to hang our Christmas stockings were still up so we took those down as well. Brian also removed the shoe trim surrounding the bottom of the hearth since it was old and busted anyway. Use painter’s tape to the surrounding walls.
2. Make sure we had a clean surface. We wiped down all the dust and cobwebs using a dry cloth. We tackled any grime or dirty spots with Goo-Gone spray and a little bit of soapy water. We also vacuumed the hearth of any loose debris from pulling out the screws.
3. And the next step, painting the fireplace. We did a total of two coats of paint to cover the entire fireplace. It looked great after just one coat but to be safe we did another. If painting bare bricks, make sure to do two coats of primer before applying paint.
4. Done! Sit back and admire your paint job. This project didn’t take much time at all nor did it take much paint. We used less than a gallon of paint for the whole fireplace, which is pretty huge.

TIPS FOR PAINTING A FIREPLACE:

• If you have a hard time getting into tiny holes or cracks, Q-tips are a great way to get into tiny holes and cracks!
• Use a small paintbrush for the grout lines first then use a paint roller.
• A paint roller is an easy way to get the entire brick surface quickly.

I am in love with the black fireplace and this gave our family room a fresh new look! It’s a perfect combination of bold and moody yet cozy. We have had so many compliments and couldn’t be happier with how this makeover turned out. We plan on painting the rest of the living room white so I cant wait to see the contrast of the black fireplace next to the white walls.

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