Painted Fireplace

After the chevron wall was done, our brick fireplace stood out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately, many projects create the domino effect in our house! So after a couple weeks and some research we decided to paint our brick fireplace. I found a tutorial on Lowe's site, picked up the supplies and had at it.

I began with cleaning the fireplace. I scrubbed each brick with sponge and water.

Click this link to see the tutorial I used from Lowes
 

I started with a coat of primer. This was the longest step. I made sure I had full coverage of all brick and grout. 1 ruined paint brush later (frayed from pushing between bricks to reach grout) , and the first step was finished!

The next day I started with the base color (Desert Fortress) , recommended by Lowes. This did cover much easier than the primer. The color looked a little pink but I was hoping the final sponge coat would make it look closer to the picture I was referencing.

Lowes tutorial pic

Finally, I was ready for the last step. Sponging the darker color to the brick face (smoked oyster) . I cut the large sponge to fit my bricks and began dipping in the darker color and lightly pressing on the fireplace. I was anxious to begin getting a sense for the final results.

Here is the final product...

My Inspiration pic

I am so happy to have that dark red brick gone! The color blends much better with our wall color and home decor. The project did take a few days but was very cost effective and made a big impact!