If you are burning wood instead of gas. It will get black and dirty fast. Go to a store like lowes or Home Depot ask for advice. Change out fire screen to all back. Not sure what style you are going for? Could dry wall and replace with a lighter stacked stone. There are so many ways to go.

Here's a previous discussion about whitewashing a fireplace with helpful info:
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/fireplace-remodel-dsvw-vd~263914

Good point, it is wood burning and we do use it in the winter! I am really looking to brighten up the room...I think the red brick drains the light, making it look dingey. I also don't have much of a budget at the moment, so covering with new stone isn't really an option.

I agree. Dry wall it and go on line and see faux stone fireplaces. Would add a new look, then paint above it. Add art or a mirror. The gold fire screen is dating it. And fire tools. Place a tall ceramic pot there instead. If you know a handy man could build you a surround out of wood. Google white washing, that would be the cheapest, and lighten room.

It needs a large white or cream mantel. Add a light background painting above the mantel with some well placed accessories.

Hi Chelsea Leslie -- I think your FP would look uplifted by a creamy white paint job and new or black painted brass opening, and I think your fantastic photo icon is worthy of a large canvas above. ;)

I whitewashed our brick fireplace wall several years ago and I can absolutely say it's the ONLY project I have ever undertaken that was easier than I anticipated. The solution went on very easily and I was finished in about an hour. I used an off-white paint color - probably Kelly Moore - and diluted it 1 part paint to 6 parts water. Used a big brush.

Our bricks were probably not as dark as yours so try diluting with 5 parts water first (or 4) and put it on an obscure section to get a look at it first. At the time we had a wood burning fireplace (since converted to gas), and the soot was never an issue.

Honest.y, before going to the time and expense of drywalling and faux stone, try the whitewashing. I think you'll like the results. I attached a photo that gives you some idea - the blue tape around the fireplace opening was to keep out the bees who had built a nest in the chimney.

Good luck.

I know you said white but you were reminded of the soot from the fires, how about black? There is a beautiful BM color called baby seal black.

I think painting brick is a big mistake, so how about trying to make it look like used brick? You could wipe some off-white paint on some of them and grey on others. I'm sure the Internet has photos of used brick that you could use as your inspiration. Of course, a mantel and something shiny (mirror) over the mantel would add lightness and depth.

I would put sheetrock over the brick.trim it out with moulding.paint creamy white, or your color of choice.kf

Take the plunge and paint it!

I agree with grannythedecorator. I can see that you have soot and that just should be. Have the chimney inspected and cleaned. Before you white wash clean the brick.

HI -- After you have the fireplace cleaned and inspected , I think it should be painted black ,-Benjamin Moore Paint color "Soot " 2129 - 20 then paint the room "Cloud White" CC - 40 .This would make more sense because of the smoke stains . This will brighten the room . Also paint the fire screen black with a heat paint . Then put a colorful painting or a big round mirror with a bright glossy white frame. Also up - grade your lighting to L.E.D. , it is a much brighter clear light. You will need TSP from the hardware store to clean the brick before you paint .

I am not a fan of painting brick because the grout gets painted, too and then there's no contrast with the bricks. It's also very obvious that that is what has been done. I love the picture that njmomma posted above and I would strive for a similar look. With a great piece of artwork and a few accessories on the mantle, no one will even notice the color of the brick. Also, have you considered painting the walls? I feel a shade that ties in the brick and the floor would also help the brick fade into the background a little bit. Good luck.

I just bookmarked this picture of a house with very lightly whitewashed brick and thought of you:

if you get a lot of soot there is something wrong with the draw of the chimney. Make sure the damper is wide open when you light a fire. If you don't the dark brick paint away! Start with a watered down white wash like feeny's picture then go solid white if that's not light enough. Also you might try a warmer white than pure white. Try the shades against you wood floors. You can get a brick at a home improvement store and test colors and techniques. Even if you paint it solid, you can add subtle contrast with a sponging of a different shade. A wash of grey would camouflage soot.

You are so speedy! And look at how great it looks--what a transformation!

Wow! It looks great. Much more contemporary. Good job!!

HI -- It looks amazing ! How did it not cost you a dime ???

Just a few questions because it came out so great!!!!!

Did you need to clean the brick before painting and if you did what did you use to clean the brick?

What color white did you use?

What was the formula (equal parts) of paint and water to get the white wash?

Did you use sponges or brushes?

Good job - it turned out well. Am also considering doing the same. Please answer njmomma questions because it would be most helpful to us all. :-)

Looks terrific! Well done.

Thanks everyone! I had a left over quart of white paint in my basement from our last project, so I literally didn't need to buy any more supplies.

To answer some questions:
Yes I cleaned the brick. All I used was soap, water, and a wire brush. I let that dry for 24 hours.

I used white latex ultra matte CIL paint that I had left over. The mixture was initially 1 part paint, 3 paints water, but as I used it I did add more water. The mixture tends to be thicker towards the bottom.
To apply it I used a large paint brush, then blotted/wiped off excess with a cloth. I did it this way because I was scared about going too white too fast. Once I had one coat done this way, I did go over some of the lighter spots with the paint brush again, not wiping off excess.

This was super easy!! I am literally 9 months pregnant (today's my due date!) and I had no problem getting it done.

I hope I answered all the questions, if not i'll post again!

I painted mine, using a paint brush, it took a lot of courage! I love it and it brightens up the room.

Great job! Thanks for answering my questions.

You really need to check your fireplace functionally before you worry about what color to paint the brick. Soot on the face like that is not just a cleaning nuisance. It's evidence of poor combustion in the firebox and transfer of combustion gases into your living space. VERY unhealthy. It's akin to sitting in your garage with the car running. Call in a local specialist ASAP, and ideally BEFORE the new little one is in the house breathing that unhealthy air.

Possible culprit is your flue is constricted from excessive soot. The firebox may also have poor/lack of fresh air intake or a malfunctioning damper. Easy fixes. The fireplace may also have an inappropriate box/flue size ratio which is more difficult to fix, but still doable (if you can't increase or add flue, decrease the box size.)

And good luck with the baby!

LOLOL You are definitely having that baby soon. This was a huge nesting project and right on schedule. Congratulations on you new arrival. I don't know you but I'm excited for you.

Excellent advice above and a lucky byproduct of your quest for a prettier fireplace.

Chelsea - Thank you! Wishing you an easy birth!

Good Job. Looks like used brick. Hope you are a new happy mommy. Congratulations!

Wow! Love it! Facing the fireplace battle myself, can't wait to try this. Good luck and wishes for an easy birth

anyone have any good suggestions for removing a bad paint job from a fireplace in a home that I've purchased. love the whitewash look, but believe I will have to remove the paint first?

Write back to tell us the gender and name! Good luck and I wish you a pain free experience!

gender and name??

She's preggers and painted the FP herself. She's due today (or yesterday). I want to know the details. smile.

You could also go with a brick or stone veneer that would handle the heat and last much longer than paint. We'll be interested to see how it turns out. And congratulations on the upcoming addition to the family! :)

North Star--look a little further up the thread and you'll see the project is finished and turned out great!

Looks good.

Wow, unbelievable. You should put this on Pinterest. Congrats on the baby and your fireplace.

The only way I know of to remove paint from brick is to sandblast - not really feasible indoors and the brick surface is drastically changed too. It will be much more pitted. We did it to the outside of a home we owned many years ago and the result was not exactly what we expected. Then the new owners painted it over again. Ugh! This is why I agree with an earlier statement to think carefully before painting over brick. It's pretty much permanent.

Wow Chelsea - that is fantastic, just beautiful!

Kcarterfay....How did you brush on? I love how you left some color showing as it looks more natural than a flat painted fireplace. Did you have to seal it?

Hi Jennifer, This was a very uncomplicated effort. I used the same paint as was on the walls (a light, soft gray/off-white) and diluted it with 6 parts water to one part paint. Then I used a big brush and just painted it on - one coat, as I liked the way it looked. The variations are the result of how the original brick looked with the whitewash on top. They were varied and all the whitewash did was soften the overall look.

A lot depends on what you start with and your desired result. I suggest that you start with a level of dilution, i.e. 6/1 or 4/1, and see how it looks on a small section. If it's too much coverage, dilute it a little more and try another section. If it's not enough, you can add more paint. You will only need about a cup of paint to start - probably at most.

As I mentioned it my original comment, it was so easy I could hardly believe it.

Good luck, Karen

Wow, I'm astonished. That looks great. Cool to see before and after shots.

It looks awesome!!! I took the plunge myself last night and love love love it - just finished now working on mantle