What should I do about the top of the fireplace where it meets the ceiling. It's dark. Despite me painting all the cracks good

I also feel like all the white needs tied into the rest of the decor better too?
Ps the color of our kitchen isn't like the pic at all it's one shade lighter then the family room

Oh Please! Do not paint another brick!!! Make the mantle board black, loose the shiny brass on the frame- like dull silver it- grey up the brick on top to look more natural...Pamela

I was planning on staining the mantel a dark wood color. To match my end tables. I was going to spray paint the brass brushed nickel but couldn't find it in Home Depot. In the high heat spray paint all they have is black, white and silver. So I got black but I can always take it back.
Please explain the graying it up? That's exactly what I wanted a gray appearance. How do I get that now ?
Thank you

You can paint the rest of the mortar with the same light colour, then get a wide rough brush or sponge roll and make one layer with the same colour as your wall (if you'll use a sponge - just make one coat,if you'll go with the brush - make one coat by using just the tip of the brush with strike motions). This piece will look as if it made from stone.:))) i would paint the wood in black- high gloss finish.

How to dull silver the brass to please?

Cool idea. I was wondering if I could paint the mortar and of so how that would look.

Why not consider drywalling the top, add crown moulding, paint it a rust to match the brick. The rust tones seem to work with your furniture as far as I can tell from my screen.

This is what it will look like

Carolyn,
I would love dry wall. I don't know how hard that would be bc our TV mount is on the brick. To be honest I hate the color of the brick. My furniture is a beige. Carpet blue/green, brown and ivory.
I wanted something like this brick or like this. I got the white book cases to go on either side of the fireplace. I want it to look more cohesive.
How hard is it to dry wall?

If the picture is what you're trying to achieve, then take a wire brush and see if you can scrape off some of the paint - LIGHTLY. For a white wash, one would have wanted to put on a very light coat to begin with and would not try to paint every spot evenly. If it doesn't work, I would drywall over it and paint the top section as shown in one of the suggestions above.

you can put crown molding, or!! my painter usually seals all the cracks with caulking before painting

Nicole, if you do as Deborah suggested and try scrubbing it with a wire brush you will get something like this effect. It could look quite lovely. Otherwise you just strap it with 1 x 2's and drywall right over it and then you can build a nice surround and mantel and add some black granite, or if you want it all white white carerra marble. If you do that and you aren't good at it then I would suggest you hire someone who knows what they are doing, but if a DYI is in the budget then try the other suggestion.

Good Luck :-)

Here is what it will look like with all white washed brick and a black mantel. It creates a very strong horizontal line. The other will give you a more vertical line and create a more sense of height. It's all in what you want to accomplish

Here is is all white. Much more romantic look. Again, it's what you like.

If I may add my opinion though, I don't think I would try to paint out the mortar lines. I'd go for scrubbing your brick.

Thanks Carolyn! Love all the pictures. I don't have a wire brush so I got some sand paper just to do a little and see what happened.

I can see a little difference. The bottom I am working on doing a first coat. I did the tip like this but then went much stronger on a second coat. That's what went wrong.
What I didn't like about the first coat was that strong rust look that the brick has. I was dreaming of a gray effect.
I have been pondering if I painted the brick gray or beige solid then white washed over top of that. One coat how that would look. Has anyone ever done that?

Or painting the top in deep areas of the brick with a color that matches the brick. ?

Yes, I was going to suggest that you do a coat of gray and then white wash it. Try the scrubbing first to see if you get the effect you want.

I had a fireplace that had been painted white. It was super shiny and I hated it. So I took a flat grey paint over it, and it looked amazing. Get a sample can and try it. Worse case scenario, you have to paint it white again.

Thanks :-) the wall color I have is very close to the mortar color almost exact. So I can paint that color over then white wash again ? I'm going to try the wire brush first. Thanks!

Thank you all for all your help. I used a wire brush on the top which made it look SO much better. I still have to do the bottom

would be nice to fish the wires, did you ever thought about that?

Nadia,
Yes I still haven't put the room back together. Above the mantel I can hide the wires by zip ties. And behind a black sound bar. So it's about 2-3 inches showing. And the cords run down the inter part of the mantel out the side. I zip tied them together and push the shelves closer so all you see is a little there too. It's not perfect which Is of course what I want. To see nothing! Do you have suggestions on how to do it all better?

The home theater retail stores usually provide this services( they will dril the hole in the chimney behind TV unit and in the corner near the wall to fish all wires, it is safe becuase the lining of the chemney is at less 6" away from the brick wall, also certified and knowledgeable electrician can do that). If you live in Montreal - I can help you - otherwise look around,it is not very costly but it gives perfect look

Great advice thank you! I'll call around. I live in Pittsburgh PA

Good luck! i'm sure you'll find theright person!!!

Good morning Nicole, it's looking good :-) your tenacity has paid off.

Thanks! I would agree :-) the wire brush saved the day. Once it's all done and put back together ill post pictures!

Hi @nicole3806 did you use any solution w wire brush ?

Love the work you've done, but I keep going back to the t.v. not being centered in the top portion, maybe it's OCD, idk.

red brick fireplaces are just ugly, paint them immediately

see my white painted fireplace.

I like the look for my room.

That looks beautiful. I have a question for you. I I am rebuilding my mother-in-law’s house that burned down the only thing that was saved was the fireplace. I noticed one side of her fireplace is longer than the other side and nobody can give me an answer as to why this is. But I noticed yours is the same way. Do you know why?