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Painted Fireplace Mantel (Finally!)

April 18, 2013 by Valerie Ott 26 Comments

Man, oh man, I couldn’t wait to share this with you today! I’m so super-excited about our fireplace now that I FINALLY painted it. Immediately upon laying eyes on it the first time we walked through this house, I knew I wanted to paint it; however, it took me 3 years to do it. I guess I was intimidated by the process because I knew I had to hold myself to a higher standard than I usually do when I paint. I can do walls lickity-split and they look good (if you don’t look TOO closely for drips or brush strokes). And furniture? No problem. But for some reason this fireplace was something I pondered for a good long time before taking the plunge. Here’s how it turned out:

As with many DIY projects, I learned a couple of things. First, I learned which paint to use when painting something dark and/or slightly glossy. This stuff.

But let me back up. First, I lightly sanded the whole thing and wiped it down with a damp cloth. Then I primed it with this stuff:

Next, I brushed on the Benjamin Moore Advance (in semi-gloss) and realized that my brush had seen its day. So the second thing I learned was to invest in a good brush. It made all the difference in the finish…no brush strokes whatsoever! I splurged and bought one for 12 bucks. It was a Benjamin Moore nylon/polyester blend (the one recommended on the back of the can, actually). I needed 2-3 coats of the Advance paint; but, I was uncharacteristically patient, and let each coat dry for a whole day before getting back at it.

So here’s the before and after shot, again.

We had the window, but now it just looks so much cooler, I think. It looks more classy-salvage rather than shabby-chic. (I don’t know why, but somehow there’s a distinction there for me.) The mirror is from Target’s Threshold line and cost only $40! I’ve seen similar ones for hundreds, so I was thrilled to find this one. I had originally thought to forget the window, but my friend, Marlene, suggested I layer them and she was right…it worked.

So you know how one project leads to another, right? Well, I had to update our bookcases next…I’ll be sharing those with you soon. And I’ve got some DIY projects in mind to dress up the mantel, too. Can’t WAIT to get to those! Until next time…

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Filed Under: Budget Decorating, Home Made Style, Home Updates

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Comments

  1. Christine D says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:34 am

    Love it 🙂

    Reply
  2. Suzan Sweatman says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:34 am

    It turned out beautiful!!!
    I used Annie Sloan Pure White chalk paint on mine – which seems to be holding up really well –
    Love your window on the mantel too!
    XOX

    Reply
  3. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:35 am

    Thank you so much, Suzan! I've never used AS chalk paint but I've heard wonderful things about it. Thanks for stopping by!

    Reply
  4. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    April 19, 2013 at 12:36 am

    Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  5. MaytagNMom says

    April 19, 2013 at 4:01 am

    The mantle is a show stopper now– I bet you are asking yourself why on Earth didn't you take a deep breath and paint it three years ago!

    Cute blog- off to spend a few min seeing what else you have written about 🙂

    Visiting from Miss Mustard Seed's Linky Party
    Smiles, Suz @ MaytagNMom
    in NW Illinois

    Reply
  6. Selene @ Restoration Beauty says

    April 19, 2013 at 6:34 pm

    It looks great! Love the white against the brick!
    Selene @ Restoration Beauty

    Reply
  7. thestyledsoul.com says

    April 22, 2013 at 2:05 am

    I love your mantle decor. Nice mix!

    Stephanie @ thestyledsoul.com

    Reply
  8. sometimes-homemade.com says

    April 22, 2013 at 2:05 am

    Your fireplace looks great! I'm pondering what to do with mine, which is currently honey oak. I'm thinking I will stain it darker, but I do love the white! Decisions, decisions…

    Reply
  9. Brenda says

    April 22, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    I..LOVE….IT!!! We, too, have an outdated (Victorian era looking) dark fireplace. We have been in our home for 5 years this July. I have been B-E-G-G-I-N-G my husband to let me paint it white. He did not want it painted. I went on a 3 yr long silent nagging spree. Printing out pictures of white fireplaces, letting them lay here and there. Asking "nicely" every once in a while, "Can I please paint the fireplace white?" and FINALLY, FINALLY 3 years later he caved!!! That's on my summer to-do list, along with painting the front door black (that silent-nagging spree only took 2 years!) 😉

    Reply
  10. VMG206 says

    April 25, 2013 at 2:33 am

    Great job ~ love the results! I'm a huge white fan…
    I'm visiting you today from lilluna. I'm co-hosting a Link Up today and would LOVE for you to link this! I hope you get a chance to stop by, Link Up and comment, too!
    ~ Megin of VMG206
    My Mom Frame ~ Printables

    Reply
  11. Angela Betlewicz says

    May 15, 2013 at 7:54 pm

    This looks fabulous! I would love for you to share this at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/assets-and-efforts-linky-party-2.html

    Thank you,
    Angela

    Reply
  12. Nicole@nicole-southerncharm.com/ says

    May 16, 2013 at 2:21 am

    This looks so good!I a new follower from southern charm! I would love for you to check out my blog and follow me back! Nicole

    Reply
  13. Katie B. of HousewifeHowTos.com says

    May 16, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    This turned out fabulously! I'm here via Southern Lovely, and wanted to invite you to join my How To Tuesday link party, if you haven't already. It's open all week, and the entries are randomized, so everyone's entry can make it to the top. It would be great to have you!

    http://housewifehowtos.com/linkage/link-party-2/how-to-tuesdays-21/

    Reply
  14. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 1:58 am

    You're so right, I'm wishing I had done it a long time ago…thanks for stopping by!

    Reply
  15. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 1:59 am

    Thank you, Selene! Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  16. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 1:59 am

    Dark is great, too, especially if you have light walls, IMO. I like that contrast.

    Reply
  17. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:00 am

    Thx so much, Stephanie!!

    Reply
  18. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:01 am

    Good luck with your painting…I'd love to see how it turns out. I have a black front door, too…I guess great minds think alike (tell your husband!) 🙂

    Reply
  19. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:01 am

    Thanks for stopping by, Megin!

    Reply
  20. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:01 am

    Thanks, Angela!

    Reply
  21. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:02 am

    Thanks for your visit, and for following, Nicole! I'll come check you out!

    Reply
  22. Val @ Home Made Modern says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:03 am

    Thanks for visiting, Katie! I'll definitely check out your blog and link party. 🙂

    Reply
  23. Savanna Rayner says

    September 10, 2013 at 12:42 am

    Hi! I ran across your blog by searching "paint fireplace mantel" – we are moving at the beginning of next month and our new home has the fireplace I've been wishing for! The mantel on our fireplace seems to be pretty similar to yours with the detailing across the top (I'm talking about the part that sort of looks like a dashed horizontal line in your pictures). My question is this- how did you do the sanding process with all the those tiny crevices? I'd really like to paint our new fireplace white, but I'm worried about sanding!

    Reply
  24. Tina Becker says

    August 31, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    Wow. Now THAT'S a centerpiece! What a transformation. I love the design of your fireplace mantel as well. For other fireplace mantels similar in design check out http://www.customfiremantels.com/mantels/heritage-mantels/

    Reply
  25. Valerie Ott says

    August 31, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    Thanks for coming by, Tina!

    Reply
  26. Rosie ASE says

    November 8, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Wow…Very nice pictures with nice paint fireplace mantel. I liked very much, which I have purchased from architecturalstoneelements.com last week for my new bed room. All the nice style mental are Awesome in respect to decoration point of view. Thanks & keep posting.

    Reply

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