This was our fireplace at Providence Acres when we bought the place. The photo is from our first walk-through of the house so the furnishings are not mine. I found I did not have another picture… probably because I did not like the look of the fireplace very much.
I have one word to describe the fireplace. Dated. Dark stained trim around the fireplace, reddish brick, and brass blower vents.
I decided that while Mr. Math was busy getting the flooring down, I should get busy whitewashing the fireplace.
Inspiration for whitewashing the fireplace came from a friend of my daughter who updated her fireplace and totally changed the look of her room. I knew it would be the fix for the hulking giant in our family room.
I went to the source of all things home related for instructions- Pinterest- and found a ton of sites that explained how to get it done.
I believe that there are two reasons that whitewashing a fireplace is so common on Pinterest:
- There is not a lot of skill that goes into whitewashing.
- The change in the look of the fireplace is quick and dramatic.
The process is very labor intensive, but there is not much skill required.
To quote The Yellow Cape Cod “I apologize if you were waiting for a long, drawn out, step by step tutorial. This project is too simple and easy for me to complicate. If you are a fan of intimidating, stressful, complicated, multi-step, time-consuming, DIY projects that require a ton of special supplies and mad skills, this isn’t the project for you.”
Remove what you can before you start then cover everything with drop cloths and or blue tape that you don’t want painted.
Collect a bunch of cotton rags, a paint brush you do not love, and disposable gloves then get busy.
Mix one part water to one part latex paint. Paint the watered down paint on in small sections then use a damp cotton cloth to blot the excess paint from the bricks until you get the desired effect.
One blogger said she did this in three hours. I am not saying she didn’t, I am just saying that I worked as hard and fast as I could and it took me a little over 6 total hours and an Epsom salt soak for soreness to get mine done. An additional hour to paint the trim and vent covers.
It is scary to start. The contrast made me think I had lost my mind.
Once I got going, I really liked the look.
The top is whitewashed the bottom is not. The drips were a pain to clean up. Drop cloths would have helped as I worked down the fireplace.
FYI. I painted the vent covers with Rustoleum White Heat Resistant Spray Paint. No worries about the fireplace ruining the paint.
I love the look.
The screws are now painted, but I lost the light before taking another shot. We need lighting in that room!
The mantle decor for fall is not something I am crazy about but I am working with what I have this year.
Lumi loves her bed in front of the fireplace.
I would love to hear from you.
Blessings,
Karen
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