How to Paint an Old Red Brick Fireplace

If your old red brick fireplace isn't giving your room quite the ambiance you desire, painting is a quick and easy way to improve its appearance without spending a lot of money. Depending on your decorating plan, your painted fireplace can blend in with the rest of the room or stand out as a bold focal point in the room. Painting a fireplace isn't difficult, but there are several things you should consider before you dip your brush into that paint can.

Things You'll Need

• Painter's tape
• Drop cloth
• Primer
• Paint (oil-based or latex)
• Mineral spirits

Instructions

1. Clean your brick fireplace with a damp rag to remove surface dirt. If you haven't cleaned your fireplace in a while, it may take several passes with the rag to remove all of the dirt. If you paint your fireplace without removing the dirt, the paint will not adhere as well and may have a lumpy appearance.

2. Block off areas that you don't want to be painted with painter's tape. Put a drop cloth down on the floor to protect the surface from dripping paint.

3. Use a primer if the bricks have been stained with soot. The primer will ensure that the soot stains won't show through the paint.

4. Choose a paint color for your fireplace. If you can't choose between two or more colors, paint several bricks with each color and decide which looks best.

5. Thin the oil-based paint with 15 to 20 percent mineral spirits before you begin painting. Thinning the paint will allow it to penetrate the bricks and resist blistering when you build a fire in your fireplace. If you don't use your fireplace, you can use a latex paint instead.

6. Begin dabbing the paint into the bricks and surrounding grout using inexpensive paint brushes. More expensive brushes will quickly become damaged due to the rough surface of the bricks. If you want the grout lines to remain visible, avoid getting paint on this area.

7. Let the paint dry for at least 3 or 4 days before lighting a fire in your fireplace. If it is humid when you paint, allow a few more days for complete drying.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy more paint than you think you will need. Because bricks are porous, they will quickly soak up paint and may require more than one coat for complete coverage.

• Don't neglect using a primer. Buy a tinted primer to ensure smooth coverage with only one or two coats of paint. Paint can blister when exposed to high temperatures and reducing the total number of coats can help reduce the possibility of blistering.

Resources

• This Young House fireplace painting tips
• Bob Vila tips