{Living Room} Painting the Brick Fireplace

I've been giving the brick fireplace in our Living Room the stink-eye for six years. But since you can't exactly un-paint brick, I've been waffling about changing it. (I have a degree in waffling. It's a B.S.) I love exposed brick, but it jacks up the visual flow and vibe of some rooms.

Namely mine.

But no longer! Now my brick fireplace is the perfect balance of creamy goodness and texture.

The process started out a little rocky. I decided to take the painting in babysteps since you can't go backwards. First I tried mixing equal parts water and paint for a whitewashed effect. Not only did it splatter everywhere, but it gave the brick a chalky finish that I didn't like.

Next I gave it an all-over coat of solid paint....Dove White by Glidden. I used a 4" cheapy brush with stiff bristles (I didn't want the rough texture of the brick to destroy my good brushes, and the stiffness made it easy to paint in the cracks), and slid a flattened cereal box under the hearth to paint along the floor.

I didn't saturate the brick, allowing some of the natural color and texture of the brick and grout to still show through. I discovered the Dove White was too cold and blue, and leaving some exposed grout reminded me of gapped teeth. No bueno.

Back to the paint store for a warmer white. I wanted it to be more like the trim color than wall color. Which proved difficult since the walls and trim have had six years to age and change. It's crazy how much colors change over time, especially in rooms with a lot of sun exposure! I chose Bleached Linen by Behr and gave the brick a final, solid coat. Perfection!

There are still a few little holes and gaps, but my goal wasn't to disguise the fact that it's brick. I merely wanted to help the brick mesh with the room by not being such a focal point. Now instead of seeing just brick, you notice the beautiful blue of the armoire, and the mantelscape.

Here's some Before & After goodness to show how HUGE of a difference the paint made!

It's hard to believe this is still the same room!

Apparently someone has been observing my {Outfit Inspiration} photo shoots, and popped in the frame for some posing of her own. She's working the new fireplace for me! Look how pretty she is the rug looks next to the brick now!

Her toe in the middle pic just kills me!

Once again, another project I can't believe I waited so long to tackle! And painting the brick was fairly painless, too.

What do you think? Of course painting the brick has opened up a whole new can of worms. I'll hold off exposing it my next quandry. Today I'll just savor another project done!

LIVING ROOM TO-DO LIST

Paint Armoire

Paint Brick

Paint/Fabric Bookcases
Re-Style Bookcases

Paint (Replace) Table Tiles

Paint Hall Chest

Paint/Wallpaper Nook Walls

Paint Backdoor? Nope

Add Nailhead to Wingchair

New Covers for Barrel Chair Cushions

Change Out Lamps

Clean Secretary

Gold Leaf Back of Secretary

More Coordinated Sofa Pillows

Determine Fate of Side Table

** Linking up to Home Stories A to Z, Tip Junkie, Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, The Shabby Nest and Thrifty Decor Chick**