Easy Ideas for Refinishing Your Brick Fireplace

If you think all a fireplace does is provide heat, you’ve never seen one with style (or one that lacked it). Your fireplace can do more than bring heat to your room, it can make or break its overall aesthetic. So if yours isn’t holding up its side of the bargain, it may be time to consider fireplace refinishing. Before you undertake the project or pay someone else to do it; however, here are some simple ideas specifically for brick fireplaces.

Refinishing a Brick Fireplace

Fireplace refinishing doesn’t need to be a particularly expensive project. This is true even if you have a material like brick surrounding the fireplace. If you thought you’d have to have it replaced or removed so another material could take its place, you may be surprised to find out that one of the most popular forms of fireplace refinishing is simply painting over the brick.

With this option, you have three main choices. You can:

•      Simply Paint Over It
•     Create a Weathered Look
•      Dry Brush It

All three of these are relatively simple and affordable to pull off. Let’s look at each in a bit more depth.

Painting over Brick

Applying paint to brick doesn’t need to be difficult, so long as you start with a masonry primer first. This coating is necessary to help the brick prepare for the paint to come. So no matter which of the above techniques you decide on, make sure it involves primer first.

In terms of the paint, don’t be afraid to ask for help from the staff at your hardware store. If you know what kind of brick you have or can show them a picture, they should be able to help you choose from all your options.

However, for the most part, a latex paint is going to be your best bet. Despite the fact that brick is a very porous material, it won’t crack from latex paint being applied to it. With a lot of other types of paint, you’ll be putting your brick at risk even with the primer there to help.

Depending on the size of the area, a brush is fine for applying the primer. However, a roller is equally acceptable if you have more room to cover. As soon as that initial coat dries, your fireplace refinishing plans can continue with the actual paint.

Two coats are necessary no matter what.  However, it’s not a bad idea to add a couple more if you use your fireplace frequently. As the heat will wear on it eventually, more coats bolster its durability. Light coats are always better too. 

Create a Weathered Look

If you want to give your fireplace a more unique look, consider artificially weathering the brick around it. Instead of the solid color provided by the above option, a weathered look will make it appear as though your fireplace is older than it is. Depending on the theme of your room, this could be a welcomed effect from your fireplace refinishing project.

Start by mixing one part water with two parts latex paint. Using a roller, apply an especially thin coat of this mixture to your brick. Before it’s able to dry, use a sponge or a rag to immediately wipe some of it off. Now allow it to dry before applying another thin coat. Always use a new roller, rag, and/or sponge each time for the right look.

Dry Brush It

Another method of fireplace refinishing that will add a unique look is called dry brushing. With this tactic, the finished result will make it look like your fireplace has had several coats of paint applied to it over the years. Aside from giving it an older look, dry brushing also helps to add dimension to the bricks so they stick out more.

Dry brushing requires three different shades of latex paint. You apply each shade to the fireplace randomly, making sure that edges of each shade overlap one another. This way it appears as though aging has stripped some portions more than others, exposing different shades underneath. Obviously, you don’t want to get too crazy with your color choices or your fireplace will end up looking like a kaleidoscope.

When it comes to your brick fireplace, don’t think you’re stuck with the look you have. Thanks to the above techniques for fireplace refinishing, you can make it look amazing with very little money and time.