Restore or not? Removing paint from fireplace brick

Comments (19)

decoenthusiaste
10 years ago
If you find the brick to be pleasing it may take sandblasting to expose it. Meanwhile, you can update by painting the brass surround with a black heat proof paint.
Darzy
10 years ago
Generally, people paint the brick on a fireplace because it is ugly. Many a design dilemma here on Houzz is Paint or not to Paint their brick. I'd say repainting the brick the white (or even a light gray) and updating the FP screen and it will look great. Search Houzz photos "gray painted brick fireplace" and "white painted brick fireplace" and you'll see how great they look.
Related Discussions
fireplace surround - remove or paint?
Q
Comments (11)
I think the grate is worthy of an elegant surround if I'm honest. If that's not in budget I think I'd actually paint it black. I agree with forzaitalia it will look a lot better painted however the contrast in colour will highlight the "chunkiness" (can't think of another word ATM!). I appreciate it won't lighten the room although there are other ways of doing so and I don't suspect the fire will make a lot of difference. The one pictured (pinched from forzaitalia!) is similar to yours and I think it looks elegant
...See More
Brick wall around fireplace. Shall i paint it white or leave it brick?
Q
Comments (6)
being a big fan of all things rustic , I would say not only leave brick but go 1 step more and make that brick wall as bold as it can be. bring back it's original brown appeal or even paint it that rustic bold brown that any brick decor deserves. that said, some pics wouldve helped a lot here because sometimes going old isn't always the best option hah
...See More
Victorian fireplace chimney breast restoration
Q
Comments (3)
Hi Beth, when I exposed our fireplace I got a builder in to ensure it was safe to do so. Granted the builder was my brother, so I had an advantage, but I would worry that you may remove a crucial supporting part. Just being cautious.
...See More
Removing exterior paint of brick facade
Q
Comments (4)
I’ve never attempted that, but one of my mum’s neighbours house was painted red (the houses had lovely red brick so a bit of an awful thing to do) but new people moved in and painted it cream with black windows and black railings. It looks amazing. The row were Coronation Villas built in 1911.
...See More
Maryl Hershelman
10 years ago
Some brick is meant to be painted....it's not glazed. There is a church around the corner that sand blasted the paint off and found that the bricks deteriorated and didn't match.
PRO
Linda
10 years ago
Removing paint from brick is a tremendous amount of work and not always successful. On our local historic homes tour, one of this year's houses had a similar situation and they ended up removing all the original brick and redoing the fireplace as they couldn't get the brick clean
PRO
JamesV Consulting
10 years ago
lots of options , stucco or thin veneer stone come to my mind. Last options to me would be trying to clean the old brick
Side3
10 years ago
You could also tile right over the brick, but definitely paint over the brass on the door.
PRO
Countertop Creations
10 years ago
If you are looking for a more custom or modern look, I have a tuscan stoneworx product that i can overlay right over the brick. We finish with a color wash and polish. Its amazing!
Emily H
10 years ago
I found this a while back and thought the process was really neat.
Debp
10 years ago
Live with the white for awhile. You may grow to love it. I think it is quite nice. As an aside, you sconces seem low. Would it be possible to turn them so they shine upward?
PRO
LB Interiors
10 years ago
This may not be an example of actual faux painted brick. It's a color that may appeal to you.
East 75th Street · More Info
PRO
LB Interiors
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Emily's video makes it look great and fast :)
Marilyn Wilkie
10 years ago
I can see reasons for restoring the fireplace to it's original color since your home is somewhat historic, and Emily's video may be the answer. We are contemplating painting a 1960 brick fireplace...not historical in any sense.
smdrovetto
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Hi Omahafoursquare!

Love your home!

I love learning all the architectural terms I've seen on Houzz! Did you see the piece they did on the 1930's Florida beach bungalows called "cracker"? I would kill for one of those homes!

I clicked on "Browse Rooms" and then typed in "arts and crafts (also try craftsman) fireplace", and it brought up several examples that look very similar to yours.

I have my rudimentary little drawing, but you'll see all kinds of beautiful tile designs.

That might be a good solution for you if you like that look. Tile is very inexpensive, not too hard for DIY'ers, with predictible results.

This period of design is very simple and pretty, and if you can do restoration that is fairly easy to maintain the integrity, it usually has a positive impact on resale etc.

I used blue green, but true green was used a lot, which I personally love, because it goes with everything, but there are infinite choices.

You wouldn't even have to change your surround or hearth. It would probably cost under $100.

Very pretty fireplace, and home. It looks like it is in beautiful shape for its age!
amadeus157
8 years ago

Shabby chic it? Kinda like above. The sconces are throwing me off a bit...upside down? And the brass screen door should be painted black or replaced with something with a little more character. Just my 2 cents worth. :)
Donna Kimbrough
3 years ago
I agree with smdrovetto. There are thousands of pictures online of craftsman fireplaces, and a majority of them have tile incorporated. Good luck with your project!
worthy
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Seven years late.

But the walnut blasting video is a horrific example of endangering worker's health while removing almost certainly leaded paint. Doing the same thing in a home without adequate containment measurements is equally dangerous. I once removed the plaster over a disused interior chimney. The exposed brick looked hideous and I ended up just painting it white.
Donna Kimbrough
3 years ago
Yeah. I noticed my comment was a little late, after I had posted it. Oops!
felizlady
3 years ago
You may be able to see the unfinished brick inside the fireplace unless the fireplace was used and has accumulated a lot of soot. We bought a California ranch-style house (built in the early 70’s) with a huge two-sided fireplace which had been painted (like everything else) off-white. I had it very lightly sandblasted to remove the paint. Removing it by any other method (heat gun or stripper) would have taken a long long time and cost a lot in labor. The sand was vacuumed up three times with a commercial vacuum before hardwood floors were laid. The underlying brick now has a lightly roughened texture and is a regular red brick color. The trick is a light touch with the sandblasting.... more like sand-washing, without water, than blasting. We have had the house 36 years and have never regretted doing it.

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.

Restore or not? Removing paint from fireplace brick

LB Interiors

Comments (19)

decoenthusiaste

Darzy

Related Discussions

Maryl Hershelman

Linda

JamesV Consulting

Side3

Countertop Creations

Emily H

Debp

LB Interiors

LB Interiors

Marilyn Wilkie

smdrovetto

amadeus157

Donna Kimbrough

worthy

Donna Kimbrough

felizlady

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US