Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Note

Items may be Special Order in some stores. Product costs, availability, and item numbers may vary online or by market. Paint colors may vary slightly from those shown. Availability varies by market for lumber species and sizes.

Painted Brick Fireplace

Want to make over your living room, family room or den? Painting brick fireplace surfaces is relatively simple with the right tools, materials and technique and the update adds new life to your room. It’s also a do-it-yourself project that you can complete in a weekend. You can find kits — such as a whitewash fireplace paint kit or a limewash fireplace paint kit — complete with paint, a paint brush and specific instructions to help you ensure your fireplace looks great.

You can also use a roller and sponge to apply paint designed for brick fireplaces to create your dramatic makeover. We’ve got step-by-step instructions for this method below.

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Prepare to Paint

Carefully mask off the walls or cabinets around the brick with painters tape. Tape down kraft paper or pieces of cardboard as needed to protect the mantel and supports. Tape around and over the firebox or fireplace insert, and add drop cloths to protect the flooring.

Good to Know

Although you can paint the inside of a masonry fireplace using high-temperature paint, there’s no guarantee the finish will withstand contact with open flames from a fire. These bricks are better left unfinished.

Paint Individual Bricks

Apply a base coat of paint using a roller on the brick faces and a sash brush to reach the edges and ends of bricks and the grout between them. Let it dry overnight.

Good to Know

For highly textured bricks, use a roller with at least a 1/2-inch nap that can reach into crevices in the brick. You’ll still need a brush to reach recessed grout. For bricks with a shiny glazed face, however, first prime the surface to help the paint stick.

A person using a yellow sponge to apply gray paint onto individual bricks on a fireplace.

Press one face of the sponge onto the tray until it absorbs a small amount. Blot any excess on a piece of scrap cardboard or paper. Then lightly press the sponge against the brick.

Good to Know

After the first few bricks, you’ll get the hang of loading paint onto your sponge. Until then, practice in the least conspicuous area of the fireplace. If you make a mistake, immediately wipe off the brick and start over.

Painted Brick Fireplace Makeover

Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Painted Brick Fireplace

Prepare to Paint

Paint Individual Bricks

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