if you paint that brick, the room will say hi here is my tv

i just personally feel that the brick makes it look dated, all the pictures/blogs i've seen that whitewashed their brick fireplace looked wonderful...i won't mind if it makes the tv stand out, i just want to make the eyesore brick go away without spending the $$$ on refacing it with stone.

"you sound exhausting" you sound unpleasant. enjoy your trolling

Red brick is classic.

@jhmarie i just personally think this looks a lot better.

I've recommended this interim solution to red brick fireplace haters multiple times until they can get around to whitewashing or refacing. IMO, there are ways to add attractive diversions to any fireplace:

--Always, always fill the firebox with as many white birch logs as possible.

--Get some dramatic white birch logs and put them in a wire basket on the hearth. Put your fireplace tools back on the hearth.

--If the budget opens up, minimize the impact of the huge TV by flanking the fireplace with built-in-look bookcases. Unlike the TV, the red brick adds a natural element to the room, but if you want to white wash, wash away!

@housegal200 THANK YOU so much for actually giving me some decent feedback! It's funny you say "huge TV", my husband and all our friends comment once a week that it's too small! I love the birch log basket idea, that will absolutely look wonderful after whitewashing. We will be tackling the bookcases very soon, I wanted floor-ceiling ones to fill in the empty spaces.

I love the whitewashing , I have been thinking about it for a while for my house but hubby does not agree yet !! have some clients who have done it and it was a fabulous makeover. I did it to a small house I owned and it was a big improvement. I am a realtor and the white is very "in" ! You can always change the color if you get tired of it too , however the red brick will be gone forever .

I personally like the classic look of brick. If you paint or whitewash you can't go back. Years ago when I was growing up, we had a brick fireplace painted white and it definitely became dirty and sooty over time from use. I don't know if this is typical, I was a child at the time and don't know if the flue was working properly etc. I would get more info from people with whitewashed or white painted wood burning fireplaces who use them regularly (assuming you plan to use yours) before making the investment,

Here's a link to a source of white birch logs, including tall ones for a basket. You can get them cut to size by the looks of it . . . or just go out to the woods!

http://www.birch-logs.com

yes thats why i wrote the post asking for advice from people who know about it

ok, so i think you just need to go to a DIY page rather then houzz for this answer, but skipping steps when painting brick is a bad idea, it will need to be maintained and it will show soot, like any fireplace does.

You may do whatever you like in your own home and the whitewash you pictured does not look bad:)

The premise that the brick is "dated" is however not correct. You will hear such things on HGTV which is a marketing tool to get people to dislike what they have and buy new stuff. I have heard the Property Brothers especially call classic features like solid hardwood flooring that has been around for decades "dated" because it is too much trouble for them to patch the floor when removing walls. I've seen them say the same thing about fireplaces and stair rails - so they can replace them and make $. They often replace these classic features with ones that really will be dated in 12 or so years, or flooring which will need to be replaced in 15 to 20 years.

I have never painted the stone on my fireplace, so can't comment on the soot, but all you have to do is clean and repaint when the time comes. My recommendation is to paint, as the room is small and the dark brick almost overtakes the space - it will feel much lighter in the room when painted. Below is a DYI tutorial. It seems that you like the look, so might as well do what makes you happy in your home. http://www.erinspain.com/how-to-whitewash-a-brick-fireplace/

I think white washing is pretty in some spaces. It would look nice in your room. Post some after pics.

Sorry if this is a hijack but since there are some brick fans out there, I'm curious if anyone has opinions on what I should do with this. I love red brick but this is a pretty unexciting color. FYI-i posted this question about a month ago and everyone said to paint it white but I'm not a fan of white fireplaces.

Well, count me as someone who won't say to whitewash the fireplace. You have two warm colors in your golden floor and golden brick fireplace. Work with them. As you furnish your room, think about colors, art work, and materials that harmonize the wood floor (your fourth wall) and the fireplace--sage greens, blues,black, and gold. Look for golden toned wood accent furnishings, etc. And put some large golden chunky logs in that fireplace and in a big open basket on the hearth ASAP!

Some artwork:

Some rugs: