We’re back with the fireplace update mentioned in yesterday’s post about removing our old, not-baby-safe wood stove.
This is just the beginning of the fireplace makeover—the very first of many steps. We plan to tackle the project in stages, so for now we wanted a quick, low-cost improvement that looks good in the short term until Phase Two happens. Here’s what it looked like yesterday morning:
And here’s the evening update:
Yes, the orange paneling is loud. But remember the dark den from our first house that also had paneling and brick? We didn’t remove the paneling there either — we primed and painted it, and the transformation was dramatic. Try to picture some fresh, soft paint on the paneled walls with glossy white beams and trim, and the fireplace finished in the same semi-gloss white. Can you see it?
About the candles and mirror in the firebox: yes, they’re not Clara-friendly. That was a quick styling choice for the photos—something cute to shoot even though the firebox will stay empty during Clara’s awake hours. It gave me a few date-night styling ideas, but mostly it was a fast way to make the space feel finished for the photos. Don’t worry, day-to-day it’ll be kid-safe: the firebox will likely become a little nook where Clara hides toys, pillows, books, and who knows what else. I’m already picturing her curled up with Gee, her stuffed giraffe.
The whole facelift took about five hours, including drying time between coats, and cost just $8.03. We used leftover Olympic Premium No-VOC primer from the guest room, some white semi-gloss trim paint we always have on hand (Olympic Premium No-VOC), and a quart of Benjamin Moore’s Temptation in satin, color-matched to Olympic Premium No-VOC at Lowe’s. Primer isn’t always required—sometimes we skip it on brick—but since we had it on hand, we used it.
You know we’ve painted brick fireplaces before—we did two in our first house. One transformed from dated to fresh and bright:
And another went from dated to clean and modern:
We have a full fireplace-painting tutorial, but here’s a recap of how we prepped and painted this one:
- Closed the damper and declared the fireplace inoperable (we don’t plan to use it for wood burning; down the road we might install a gas or electric insert).
- Scrubbed the firebox, exterior brick, mantel, and hearth with soap and water to remove grease and ash (we used Dr. Bronner’s and water).
- Allowed everything to dry thoroughly.
Then we primed and painted:
- Primed the firebox with Olympic Premium No-VOC Primer. Note: if you’ll be using the fireplace for wood-burning, leave the firebox unpainted or use a high-heat rated product.
- Painted the firebox with Benjamin Moore’s Temptation in satin (color-matched to Olympic Premium No-VOC).
- Taped off the surrounding wall, since working into craggy brick makes it hard to stay perfectly inside the lines.
- Caulked the big crack between the tile hearth and firebox so it would read as one seamless surface when painted.
- Filled other deep holes in the brick to minimize shadowy, chipped-looking spots once painted.
- Primed the brick surround, wood mantel, and even the tiled hearth.
- Painted the brick surround, wood mantel, and tiled hearth with two coats of Olympic Premium No-VOC semi-gloss in white. We like the all-white look for now, though in the future we may add different materials or colors when we do a more extensive remodel.
- Applied three thin, even coats of Safecoat Acrylacq (a low-VOC, non-toxic alternative to polyurethane) to the tiled hearth on the floor. Some polyurethanes yellow over time; the two we trust are Safecoat Acrylacq and Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic in Clear Gloss.
Painting floor tile may sound odd, but we did the same trick on the hearth floor in our first house where the matte terra-cotta tile grabbed the paint and held up for years, even under foot traffic and kids playing. The prime, paint, and poly technique was intended as a temporary fix, but it lasted—when we sold that house the hearth still looked fresh and glossy.
While painting walked-on ceramic tile isn’t a pro-recommended long-term solution and can be problematic in wet areas like bathrooms, it can work well as a temporary cosmetic fix—especially on porous, matte terra-cotta. We’ll likely replace the hearth tile later when we have the budget for a bigger remodel, but for now this quick update makes the whole room feel brighter and more finished.
Have you painted brick or primed, painted, and poly’d tile as a temporary solution? Did it hold up? Also—has your spouse ever snapped unflattering photos of you working to get back at you for sharing theirs? We’d love to hear your stories.