DIY Whitewash Fireplace Makeover

I am the kind of person that does not plan. Seriously. If I get an idea in my head I go with it. Which is how this project came about.

When we moved into the new house, I was overjoyed that it had a fireplace. I could just imagine cozy nights curled up in front of the hearth, a crackling fire going, the smell of burning pine. What I got in reality was a messy nightmare I was not exactly sure what to do with.

 

After 50 years of previous homeowners enjoying this fireplace, there was a lot let to be desired. There was soot burnt into the brick.

 

Seriously. Caked into the brick. Look at that!

So I went about researching how to clean up the brick. I had all these grand ideas about restoring the old brick back to its fresh deep red. I could just picture it looking brand spanking new. So I turned to pinterest. I found a tip about using scrubbing bubbles to pull the stains out.... yeah not so much. After about an hour of scrubbing and blotting I was left with wet still stained brick.

Forget it.

So, plan B came into action. Like I said, I don't plan things. When I get something in my head I go for it. Since I had it in my head that I was going to get this fireplace looking like new, I had to come up with a back up plan. Hence, whitewashing.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• White paint (I used a matte finish pure white indoor/outdoor paint. Mainly because I already had it.)
• A paintbrush
• A rag 
• Dropcloth
• Water

THATS IT. Seriously. 

• Clean your brick thoroughly. Since I had already scrubbed the damn things for an hour this was ready to go.
• If you are removing your mantel or wish to tape off, do it now. I didn't do either, I just wiped after and was good to go.
• Mix an equal amount of water to your paint. Eyeballing is fine.
• Paint over a small area of brick with the whitewash mix. 
• Immediately wipe down to desired hue. If your rag becomes too saturated with paint mixture, rinse and wring dry then reuse.
• Repeat painting and wiping until finished.

 

A few notes: I did two coats of whitewash to get the color I was going for (and to cover up all of the residual burns.) However, it looked great after only one. If you want more of the natural brick to shine through, one coat should do. Also, after my second coat, I wrung out my rag and wiped the damp cloth over each brick again to get an even coating. Play with it and see what you like.

That's it. And since I already had everything on hand it cost me nothing. Brand new gorgeous fireplace for NOTHING.

Of course now it is 80 degrees and a little too hot to be starting any fires. But I can always enjoy looking at it until next winter!

 -Bee