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Is it possible to reface a glazed tile fireplace without tearing the b

4 years ago

I have a dark red glazed brick fireplace in our cottage that is severely soot stained. I’ve tried chemical cleaners but the staining didn’t lighten much. It had been a wood burner that was converted to gas. I just need to lighten it and would consider painting it or a friend suggested a German smear. What is the best way to get a lighter look?

Brick Fireplace Transformation · More Info

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Comments (6)

PRO
Classic Fauxs & Finishes
4 years ago
Have you tried cleaning it with TSP? That and a scrub brush should get the soot off. You'll need to rinse well and keep changing the dirty water. If the bricks have a sealer on them, prime with BIN shellac white primer. That will block any left-over soot from coming through. You can paint it any color you like which would be the easiest. If the bricks weren't sealed, you could have applied a limewash. A limewash product seeps into the unsealed brick and cannot be applied over previously sealed brick.
katieretired
Original Author
4 years ago
How do you know if the bricks were
sealed? I’ve done several scrubbing with TSP which got a lot of the soot off the bricks but didn’t do a lot in the grout.
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PRO
Classic Fauxs & Finishes
4 years ago
You mentioned they were "glazed". Are the bricks shiny?
katieretired
Original Author
4 years ago
Yes they are dark rusty red shiny bricks. The house was built in the 60’s,
PRO
Classic Fauxs & Finishes
4 years ago
Then they most likely have a sealer on them. I would scrub the grout with the TSP and paint everything.
katieretired
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for your help.

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