Giving Your Fireplaces that Modern Look

Giving a fireplace a whole new look by renovating it can be costlier than it sounds. Where finding the right contractor today is a tough job, everything from wood and stone to brick is also getting costlier day by day.

Fortunately, you can now choose to repaint your fireplace in order to give it a whole new and modern look. Here, choosing paint wisely can be highly helpful in saving money!

Here are some painting tips that you can use to give your fireplace a modern look without having to spend too much on paint:

Knowing the Design and Choosing Paint

Before you begin with repainting, try to find out what type of material your fireplace is made up of. Brick and wood are easier to paint compared to harder materials such as granite and shiny marble. This is the reason it remains important to analyze the amount of time and effort involved in the job. 

Make sure you have clear color preference before actually buying paint. Take time to check multiple paint color options at different paint stores, for shades that are in your mind may not look that fine in reality and you may find difference in prices as well. Today, most paint stores provide free samples allowing you to check what looks best. 

Protecting the Fireplace Material

Protecting the fireplace by placing a drop cloth around it is quite important. If you are using a ladder, using a cloth trap will be a better option as it is not as slippery as plastic. Consider using painter’s tape to protect walls around the fireplace, for when peeled away, it doesn’t leave any muggy marks. 

You will need to wrap a sandpaper sheet around a block in order to be able to conveniently sand the entire fireplace. Use a tack cloth or vacuum cleaner to remove sanding dust. 

Priming the Fireplace

Granite and marble are slick materials and can be easily repainted using a primer and paint in one. On the other hand, however, both brick and wood are porous. This is the reason it is not a good idea to use primer on them.

Before applying primer on the fireplace, spend some time roughing up its surface using sandpaper (180-grit) so that the primer can stick well to it. But don’t forget to clean the dust away using a tack cloth before applying the primer. Make sure the primer has dried up completely before you start to paint.

Painting the Fireplace

The best way is to start from the top and move your way down. Make ‘V’ or ‘W’ patterns in order to avoid any visible vertical stripes on the areas where brush strokes overlap. When doing the corners, a sponge brush is always the best option. Let the first coat of paint dry completely in case you think applying a second one is necessary.