Remember how ugly our brick fireplace is? Of course you do, because that was the last post I wrote (sorry for not updating more frequently — it really is insane how all consuming moving can be). So, now that we have new living room paint (yay Sanders!) and floors, the fugtacular brick fireplace must be destroyed. Like seriously, I would love to take a sledgehammer to it. Some demolition happy people suggested we rip it out entirely, and we are indeed considering a major overhaul somewhere down the line. But for now, I just need to tone that shit down. Way down. Justin Bieber’s publicist down. So paint is the obvious answer.
I’m sure a white painted fireplace would look great (non sequitur sidenote: I totally have that side table but bigger).
Look how easy quirky Miss AB Chao makes it look.
I also like the look of Morgan’s charcoal painted fireplace, over at Ye Old Brick House.
But I think what I want is something not quite opaque… more like this:
How cute is that house, by the way?
Or maybe even less opaque, like this.
I don’t know. It could turn out super kooky, but I’d like to try whitewashing before I commit to completely covering the brick. I think a lil rustic feel would be a nice foil for all my shiny disco furniture.
What I want to know is: have you ever whitewashed brick? Did you use lime like an old school badass? Because I’m kind of into that idea… did I ever tell you that I used to make daguerreotypes when I was a full time analog photographer? I like chemicals.
If not lime, then what? I don’t want a plasticky, hermetically sealed look.
At least not until my chemical laden plans fail on an epic scale.
[Remodelista, AB Chao, Brick House, Blue Rose Gold, Design Ties]
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If you are going light, I reeeally don’t dig the whitewashed look unless the bricks underneath are all the same tone. Your variegated bricks might look a little funky peeking through. PLUS, since your surround is so tall, the “lil rustic feel” you’re looking for might end up overpowering. Plus, you’d have to add a couple more rustic pieces in the room to make it work (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). It’s a slippery slope.
Personally, I’d go dark and opaque. But that’s my usual answer. To everything.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the new house!
Well I was considering picking up a wagon wheel coffee table… kidding.
I did consider painting the fireplace the same color as the bannister railing, but I’m little afraid it will end up looking like an armory looming over the room.
Good point on the variegated bricks, though. What if I just gave the dark bricks an extra coat or 20?
ps: did you paint your cabinets yet?
I think you should start with a whitewash test spot since you like that. If you don’t like it keep moving up the whitewash to opaque ladder until you get to where you do like it. I know, pain in the ass, but just like picking you wall color, you don’t know until you see it on your fugly bricks in the room.
Have you thought about giving the fireplace a gradient paint job? Starting with black on the bottom, of course. That’d visually bring it back down to size a bit, to better suit the scale of your furniture. You’re removing the little mantle, right? And are you going to deck it out in artwork?
Yes, I have painted my kitchen cabinets (dark as night), and walls (entirely chalkboard-black). Of course, thanks to decorating ADD I haven’t yet gotten to the muntins and also the trim in the adjoining entryway…
Mantle is going for sure. Artwork = hell yes.
Right now I just want to shove a stick of dynamite in there.
Pictures please!
Connie – It’s really Matt’ s pain in the ass so I think Erin should go with your suggestion. Erin – I say medium opaque, Tandy has a real good point about varied bricks and the main goal here is to have that monstrosity receed.
Also sorry I didn’t post yesterday. Also also forgive the bad grammar I’m on my phone and it’s being crazy
Have you thought of going chalky or matte white? There’s recipes going around the interwebs for homemade chalk paint which look pretty promising, and might give the look you want. I’d otherwise suggest that if you want the semi-opaque rustic, painting out the darker bricks with an orangy-bricky color that matches the lighter bricks (it won’t matter that it’s a solid color once you start whitewashing), then carrying on with the overall whitewashing from there. It would look more uniform and give you the look you’re after. Or you could always give the bricks a solid coat of opaque white paint and then take a steel brush to them when dry and see what happens. It might look interesting to see the different color variations peeking out from the distressed parts.
I painted two interior brick walls in my house and they required primer plus two coats of paint to cover them, so if you just use a roller with one coat of paint, you’ll definitely get a less than opaque result. Also, water down the paint and it will be even less opaque. I like the idea of using the same color as you used on the walls. Plus it would be free if you leftover paint.
I’m with Tandy. Go bold. Do something dramatic with it. Astound us! Decor blogs are so freaking predictable these days, but not yours!
With that neutral wall color, you need to make it funky.
Put on some James Brown, and go to town…
I love the whitewash! And Miss AB Chao’s “Book Place” is a GREAT idea!
No opaque anything…paint those ugly bricks out. Artwork is your friend.
mb from big D.
BRAINSTORM.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Divide huge expanse of brick in half. Bottom half- charcoaly dark grey black whatever. Top half- Wall color agreeing neutral (whiter or creamier or whatever)- Dividing line- Mantle… painted in the dark so the art looks like its floating above…
I think it could cozy up the bottom half while blending away the top part. and it’s original and it’s changeable.. lets photoshop that shit and see if it works!
ita darling
Hmm…you don’t know me, but you see I am back already for another comment; I am addicted. I love the idea of whitewashed bricks, and considered it for the house I wanted to buy (but my husband refused because it had water in the basement. So we bought another house with a less-awesome floor plan that also has water in the basement. It is, however, closer to the metro. Current house: no bricks). I see the point about variegated bricks and whitewashing. I say troll the internet (and all paint experts you know) to find out exactly how different finishes look with variegated versus uniform bricks.
I comment only to impart the following, really: the application method is supposed to depend on whether the bricks are porous or non-porous. Given the age of the house, bet yours are non-porous (porous bricks = old). Easy way to tell is to slap some water on a brick and wait 30 seconds. If it looks dry by then, it’s porous. Anyway, the weathered look happens automatically (with time, or normal amounts of paint with no sealer) to porous brick. Non-porous brick requires you to fake the effect. HGTV (I forget which show) did an episode on this; some lady with a brick-faced raised ranch wanted to make it look like an 18th-century cottage. She was a ninny, but her painter was pretty sharp. I bet Sanders will know what to do.
For the record, I like opaque painted bricks. In this application. I say go for a solid, graphic statement. You might even consider a midtone warm/gray paint and then hang a wonderful painting above the fireplace opening.
Settle in. You will have months to improve the overall plan… you got it in the first paragraph, paint! Paint the brick.
Have a good weekend. Enjoy this fab Texas weather.
mb from big D.
Maybe try just one coat of paint. Here are some pics of before, during and after our paint job, and you can see the difference between the first coat and the second coat in the ‘during’ shots.
http://combinedaverage.blogspot.com/2011/11/paint-it-white.html
I made whitewash a couple of weeks ago – beware its totally addictive and very splishy splashy!
Anyway I just googled the recipe and made a very small batch – not gallons! I still ended up with most of it left over. I painted out a shop window with it – but if you do whitewash and then decide to paint – you will need to unwhitewash which is easier said than done. For ease I would recommend watering down some white paint (matt, flat, or low sheen interior vinyl/emulsion is fine and just keep adding layers till you like the effect! I painted both my gross fireplaces like this and now I love them – oh yeah you can remodel the mantel to be more in proportion with your room which is what we did. Be brave – you hate the brick anyway!
ok.
so I’m going white with my fireplace and thinking about doing this:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/how-to/how-to-make-your-brick-walls-like-bddws-004202
I don’t love whitewashed brick and I think it can go horribly splotchy and wrong very quickly – but I love the matte chalky texture and softness of the wall treatment at BDDW.
So there.
Obviously I’m late to the game here. Don’t go dark or less opaque please. Just white and textural is my vote. With maybe a rustic wood mantel? Ok I just love live-edge wood. But you know that.
Also, I think Matt needs to add some sort of trim to the top, to finish it off. Maybe a crown of some type. Knocking it down seems like a job and a half. Plus I like that it’s tall because the room is so tall…
Have you considered extending the brick course up to the ceiling? Or even covering the whole wall? It might make the design look less rustic, and more modern and cohesive, without having to even change its coloring. But, of course you could change that too. It’s just a thought, might not even be possible or cost-worthy, but a thought nonetheless.