We’re back with a fireplace update that follows yesterday’s post about removing our old, not-baby-safe wood stove.
This is just the beginning of our fireplace makeover—step two of what will likely be many. We’re tackling the project in stages and wanted an affordable short-term solution that would look better while we save up and plan the next phase. Here’s how it looked yesterday morning:
And what it looked like by yesterday evening:
The orange paneling is loud, we know—but paint is remarkably transformative. In our first house we painted paneled walls and brick without removing the paneling and the result was dramatic. Try to imagine soft wall paint, glossy white beams and trim, and a semi-gloss white fireplace finish to match. Can you picture it?
About the candles and mirror in the firebox: they were only for photos and not Clara-friendly. I wanted something pretty for the pictures even though the firebox will stay empty during the day while Clara is awake. It was a quick styling choice that gave me cute date-night ideas—worth saving for special evenings rather than daily use.
For everyday life, I expect to find pillows, stuffed animals, books, and whatever treasures Clara hides there. She loves stashing things around the house, so this little nook will likely become one of her favorite hiding spots. Hopefully we’ll catch her sitting there reading or snuggling with “Gee,” her stuffed giraffe.
This mini fireplace facelift took about five hours total (including drying time between coats) and cost eight dollars and three cents. We used leftover Olympic Premium No-VOC primer, some white semi-gloss trim paint we keep for touch-ups (also Olympic Premium No-VOC), and a quart of Benjamin Moore’s Temptation in satin, color-matched to the Olympic paint at Lowe’s. Primer isn’t always required, but since we had it on hand we used it for extra adhesion and coverage.
You know we’ve painted brick fireplaces before—twice in our first house. One fireplace went from this…
…to this:
And another went from this…
…to this:
We posted a full fireplace-painting tutorial before here, but below is a concise recap of the prep and painting steps we followed for this update:
- Closed the damper and declared the fireplace inoperable. We don’t plan to use the wood-burning fireplace; eventually we may install a double-sided gas or electric insert.
- Thoroughly scrubbed the firebox, exterior brick, mantel, and hearth with soap and water to remove grease and ash (we used Dr. Bronner’s and water), then let everything dry completely.
Next came priming and painting:
- Primed the firebox with Olympic Premium No-VOC primer. Note: if you intend to burn wood, leave the firebox unpainted or use a high-heat product designed for fireplaces.
- Painted the firebox with Benjamin Moore’s Temptation in satin (color-matched to Olympic Premium No-VOC paint).
- Taped off surrounding walls since brushing into craggy brick makes it hard to stay perfectly in the lines.
- Caulked the large gap between the tile hearth and firebox to make the surfaces look seamless once painted.
- Filled other deep holes in the brick with caulk so the finished surface would read more even and less shadowed.
- Primed the brick surround, wood mantel, and even the tiled hearth.
- Applied two coats of Olympic Premium No-VOC semi-gloss paint in off-the-shelf white to the surround, mantel, and tiled hearth. We like an all-white look, though later we may introduce tile or mixed materials for added interest.
- Sealed the tiled hearth with three thin coats of Safecoat Acrylacq, a low-VOC non-toxic alternative to polyurethane. Be careful: some polyurethanes yellow over time; the Safecoat product and Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic in “Clear Gloss” are the finishes we trust for a clear, non-yellowing coat.
Yes, we painted the floor tile. We did the same treatment on the hearth tile in our first house and it lasted—looking great even after years of foot traffic and kids. This approach is meant as a temporary, budget-friendly fix until we decide on permanent tile or other materials. The terra cotta tiles we painted were very porous and took paint well, which likely helped the finish hold up. If we see excessive wear here, we’ll update the hearth when we tackle bigger projects like the kitchen.
Have you painted brick or primed, painted, and sealed tile as a temporary solution? We’d love to hear about your results—especially if you found a product that held up well under foot traffic or in a high-use area.