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…
Love it 🙂
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
Thank you so much, Suzan! I've never used AS chalk paint but I've heard wonderful things about it. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks 🙂
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
It looks great! Love the white against the brick!
Selene @ Restoration Beauty
I love your mantle decor. Nice mix!
Stephanie @ thestyledsoul.com
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…
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!) 😉
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
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
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
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/
You're so right, I'm wishing I had done it a long time ago…thanks for stopping by!
Thank you, Selene! Have a great weekend!
Dark is great, too, especially if you have light walls, IMO. I like that contrast.
Thx so much, Stephanie!!
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!) 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Megin!
Thanks, Angela!
Thanks for your visit, and for following, Nicole! I'll come check you out!
Thanks for visiting, Katie! I'll definitely check out your blog and link party. 🙂
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!
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/
Thanks for coming by, Tina!
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.