We painted our fireplace. Our mid mod elitist card was immediately revoked and we have been hanging our heads in shame ever since. I kid. I don't give a shit... it's my fireplace. Now having said that, karma bit us in the ass and I am not 100% pleased with the final result. Drama unfolds below.
The Backstory
The fact of the matter is we would never choose to have a big brown brick wall in the middle of our house. This room isn't exceedingly bright as it is so having all the light absorbed rather than reflected isn't helping. The hearth needed replacing and having a bright white, fresh brick as the background for those original brass fish hanging — I knew we just had to do it.
First thing was removing the hearth. It had this sort of faux paint finish to it but it wasn't painted and was busted enough that I knew we had to install something new. We went to a local stone supplier who, allegedly, specializes in hearths. I chose a lovely grey limestone from the samples they had available and kept the cut simple with just clean edges, a choice that seemed to baffle the sales person we spoke to.
How to Paint a Mid Century Modern Brick Fireplace
- CLEAN: We cleaned the dingy brick with a wire brush to start since it likely hadn't been cleaned in a decade, then with vinegar and hot water.
- PRIME: Is there a choice other than Kilz for a primer? The one we chose said masonry on it, bingo! We did 2 coats of the primer just for good measure.
- PAINT: Home Depot had a Behr Masonry, Stucco & Brick paint that wasn't the cheapest but moderately priced so it seemed like a good bet.
The Hearth Drama
The day we got the call the hearth was ready for pickup was a rainy day. Phil brought the pieces inside and my heart sank. They were wet and dirty with odd markings on them... It was left outside for a couple days in the dusty, muddy stone yard and it looked as though my lovely limestone soaked up every ounce of dirt.
Two weeks later Phil went to install them and noticed that he had measured incorrectly and one piece on the end was a few inches too short. A couple hundred dollars into the fire and a new piece was cut.
The new, replacement piece was exactly what I thought I had ordered. We went back and forth with the stone company for months. Each time we were told they would eventually match. Give it time to dry out.
So this makeover doesn't have a happy ending. Sometimes shit happens and you have to cut your losses. In the end it is likely a detail that only I will notice... and any OCD friend I point it out to. It also looks remarkably better than what we started with!
Products We Used
- Wire brush
- KILZ 2 Multi-Surface Stain Blocking Interior/Exterior Latex Primer/Sealer, White
- Crystal White Flat Masonry, Stucco and Brick Interior/Exterior Paint
Originally published April 22, 2019 on OhMidMod.com
