I can't wait to see it painted!
And for the mantle, a framed quote that says "NO REGRETS"

Well, here is the one dissenter. If you want to paint the brick, check out some previous discussions, and "Before and Afters"

This is the most common queston, by far. There are many examples of washes or stains that look very nice.

I haven't liked any of the fireplalces I've commented on, but this one has such rustic charm, and seems like it's true to the period of the home. It may need to be cleaned up a bit. That beam/ mantel is fantastic!

If you use regular paint, it can end up looking like a shiny blob, with no texture. And taking paint OFF is a lot easier than putting it on.

Really check around and see the results of different techniques before you start.

I agree with one of the commentors about painting the walls around it, and cleaning the . soot, and getting a great new screen, or insert. Maybe if you would be able to get a persian rug in reds, and find homes for some of your other things, the fireplace could be a showcase, especially during the holidays.

I agree with a getting a good fireplace screen. It serves as a safety feature and a decorative element. Many of the fire-safe hearth rugs come in wonderful patterns and colors. TV mounts come in tilting and/or telescoping arm versions as well as just stationary. The tilting allows you to position the screen slightly up or down for optimum viewing. The entire room should feel like it is pulled together with color. If a fireplace is too much of a contrast to the surrounding walls, it becomes heavy. Instead of a pleasant focal point, it becomes the scene of an accident. You know, where you don't want to look but you can't help it?

Wheat grass and grey don't jibe! Find a color that will be in harmony with the wall color if you aren't going to paint the walls for awhile......take a sample of the wall color to the paint store and have them help you with choosing a color....check out the subtle creamy yellow -gold shades....that might be really pretty with your walls.

Actually, there are different greys. Some greys are just lighter shades of black and are considered cool colors. French greys are warm. Years ago, I used a French grey for all the trim in my own house. Depending upon the color next to it and the lighting, it can go with a soft orange (Decorous Amber by Sherwin Williams), a soft gold, or even a color I call milk chocolate. Go look at the many shades of grey at a paint store. Every paint manufacturer has their own shades. I am sure you can find one you like. I have been steering clients toward using more neutral colors and having just accents of brighter colors in their homes. Neutral is not boring. It is just more natural and provides a great back drop for your furniture and art.

OOPS! I MEANT TO SAY PAINT IS A LOT HARDER TAKING IT OFF, THAN PUTTING IT ON!
SORRY!

If paint IS used, as opposed to a wash, etc, and you do want to take it off, since brick is pouros, it cam soak up paint at varying levels, especially depending on its age, and trying to remove it can sometimes cause the brick to chip and break apart.

I dont know if it is wheat grass...it is a light beige pale maybe some green. I promise I will paint walls a suitable colour when I actually get the fireplace done. As for the fireplace screen, I did get one and new windows mean that the fireplace now works beautifully and no longer smokes. And lastly, I knew what you meant that paint is much harder to take off than on. I have bought the TSP and will do some clean up. If i decide I like it once it is clean, I will quit. Otherwise, I have purchased a soft but not light, grey paint. It is a similar darkness as it is now. It is a fairly rough brick and will still have a lot of texture when painted...but the white mortar will no longer be there. As for the wood beam mantle, the paint store man told me to just vacuum and maybe wash it and do nothing else. I will see what I think as i go along. I will clean the solid grey stone hearth. If when all is done I hate it, I will go back to considering tearing off all the brick and replacing it with stone from our property as I did with my office fireplace. I will take photos along the way and you will all be with me. I hope to start tomorrow after my guest leaves...but the best laid plans.....wish me well!

It IS so irreversible - don't do it! We just paid to have our painted brick (done by previous owners) removed as it was boring, solid white and I had no options for it. It is a shame to paint natural brick. This has so much potential

You will lose the charm and have a big blob of wall after the "new-ness" of the painting wears off.

I chose to paint my brick fireplace and love it. Wish I had a mantel like yours to break it up . Thinking of hanging artwork.

To me it all depends on how the overall room is decorated. As it is if it was done in a more rustic mode the fire place would be great as it is if the walls were painted in warm earth tones to cut back on the contrast. I agree with deshugar, I would decorate the room to look good with the fireplace.

Were they able to restore it? In all these years I have not found the charm. I have brick in the kitchen and love it. I have a field stone fireplace and another brick one, and I love them both. But this one, not so much, and there is so much of it. It is a cheap monotone new brick.

I did have the room painted in a colour that was warm and less contrast and it was dark and dreary. We live in the country with lots of woods and wildlife and a barn and an old wood stove with lovely old brick walls around it in the kitchen. Rustic is everywhere!

I guess you have to ask yourself a couple of questions. If the rest of the house is rustic should this room be different? When it was painted dark, did you look into adjusting your artificial light to compensate? If you really must go lighter on the brick, I'd look into some way to put a soft wash of color over it. There surely must be a method. If it were my home I'd experiment with brick using watered down latex paint the color I intend for the walls and see if it soaks into the brick and what it looks like. A "washed" on color would look much better than a soldt paint color in my opinion. Best wishes whatever you decide.

One more thought. You could put beadboard panelling above the mantel, paint it white (or whatever color you prefer, so it's a flat wall concealing the chimney--you wouldn't even know it's there. Leave the portion below the mantel as it is, or give it a wash of paint.

[houzz=]
: )

Yes, elaynemt! If you have already done a stone fireplace on your own, that's something!
As joots07 suggested, there may be some creative and beautiful ways to conceal some of the bridk. I'll show you a little drawing I did for a rather unattractive fireplace.

I think, from the photos, the mantel is so fantastic, I know you must be planning on making sure it is showcased as best it can with a new color. That kind of beam to purchase, as you may know, could easily go as high as $1000.

I thought the stone wasn't too bad, and the owner wanted and inexpensive fix. (See Below)
It was just that there was SO much, and everything was out of proportion.............awful mantle, small firebox. So by tiling around the opening, and adding a cool stainless surround, made a big difference.

I also thought the hearth was a big part of what made all the stone so oppressive, and covered seat with marble, and front with a more industrial look, using stainless.

I also think not all fireplaces need mantles. Especially with a big hearth. With the smaller busy stone design, I felt a mantle would just be a place the owner would be compelled to fill. I think a very cool piece of art worked fine. Of course this is a more modern fireplace that could accommodate those changes. Just inspiration for ideas

Sorry, didn't attach.

I promised i would post the final results. I am quite pleased now that the room is almost done. The fireplace tools are not up yet and the wood (remember we live on 60 Acres and cut wood) is not in yet and so the left side of the photo is not quite complete but here it is. I am pleased with it and the room feels so much calmer without the garish red brick screaming at me. The photo is taken at night and the colour is not quite true.

Great job.....

WOW!
From - Let the fire burn it down. :(
To - Lights my fire ;)
From mockingly uninspiring
To an Inspiring, strong and sophisticated focal point.
Beautiful!

Ironically, I believe we had our first frost last night so I am just in time.

elaynemt! It looks Gorgeous! I'm so glad you used a wash, it looks like a pro did it. Just the perfect number of accessories, and placement, and more of the hardwood floor showing. But it is such a small photo, I can barely see it even if I zoom. Can you do another the size of the first one? We rarely get to see an "after".

I will post another but although I at first could only see it small today it came up full size. Correction too; I didn't do a wash, I used a satin paint in a fairly dark, stone colour grey with brown undertones.

Looks great from what I can see from the small pic. I'm glad you kept the unique shape.

I will repost. Can anyone tell me why the photo is small? And how to do it better?

When I click on it it is full size. Not for you?

Try again. I can't enlarge it either.

How's this?

Great job. You are ready for a magazine cover. Keep us informed of any more changes you make to this room.

So much better. Just shows what paint and rearrange items. Can have a big impact.

The more I work with it, the more I like it. Here is a photo that shows more of the room. The colours in the photo dont appear to go, but in reality I think they go well. The fireplace is coming through as more blue-- it actually has red in it making it a brown toned grey.

Wow! that color is GREAT! Although on my screen in the above 2, it looked perwinkle, but that wasn't bad, either. I'm SO glad you didn't use white. And the accessorizing! I must have REALLY liked it! As I was trying to enlarge the little photo, somehow it ended up as my desktop background. But this IS an APPLE................I've had it almost 3 years, and I still don't know why things happen...........or don't happen!

Wow, I love it! You did a great job!

It really does look much better.

Great job! I still think the wall color needs to be a little warmer.lol

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. Gantt, what colour do you suggest? I dont care too much if it doesnt go with the couch as this couch is cheap and not so comfortable. But the wing chair, one of a pair, is brown and staying so whatever colour you pick has to go with the brown and grey. But i am too lazy to paint!

Elaynempt,

I take care of my 94 yo mom (or is it SHE takes care of me), and she enjoys looking at Houzz, and some of the discussions.

She is bedridden, and became very ill last year from disgraceful care in a short stay in a nursing home. However, her doctor did a home visit, and she is BETTER in almost every way, than she was last year! BP 128/80 Heart 72, NO MEDS but thyroid, and glaucoma eye drops!!

Anyway, I digress. I showed her the before of your fireplace, and we agreed that you should not paint it.

I remembered today to show her the results, and it was SO cute!

She is a tiny little thing, and her voice is pretty weak, but when she saw the results, she said, "Boy Howdy" That girl ( I don't know if you ARE a girl) is on the ball!"

I think this is the best fireplace re-do I've seen.

Thanks for being part of what is a fun, and very valuable cognitive activity for us!
Sheila and Evie, too!

Sheila AND Evie! You have made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me this. My true calling and professional vocation is that I am a psychotherapist, counsellor, for individuals, families and couples so making you feel better may be the best part of doing over the fireplace!

I would never paint brick...until I saw how beautiful your fireplace turned out. It looks fabulous!

Elaynempt, That is so sweet!
I read Evie (I call her Evie sometimes), your comment. She had a big smile and asked, "Does she know me?" I said, "Well I'm sure she would like to" I think she is a little confused about this format, because we watch movies on the computer, and thinks you're famous..................Are you? :)

I don't know Evie but I am sure I would like to! Where are you located? I am just west of Toronto Canada. Famous? No. Because of my work lots of people have known me (not so much a girl as an old broad) over the years but I'm not Dr Laura or Dr Phil! But it is my pleasure to know you now!

Just so you all know: it isn't really irreversible, although I LOVE this result! Former owners of my now home (not the farmhouse we are buying) had painted the fireplace bricks a taupe grey to match their wall paint. When we painted the walls a creamy color, the fireplace looked UGLY in taupe. So, I got out my craft paints, used a red brown and pale peach and sponged on in patchy layers to just the bricks (not the mortar.) The taupe was about the right shade for mortar. Then I blended some more craft paint to match
the taupe to touch up spots where I got some "brick" paint onto the "taupe mortar." It took about an hour to "go back to brick" although it would have taken longer if the base coat wasn't already cement/mortar colored. The craft paint was matte, so it
really does look like brick. Has held up perfectly for five years (although, there is a built-in gas log flameless fireplace with firescreen, so no soot to contend with, and the craft paint does not get hot!) So, go ahead and don't be afraid to paint it: you CAN go "back to brick!)
I did this previously on painted half-columns on the front porch of an old house using taupe exterior flat and red-brown and brown peachy paint for the bricks...worked great! Just take care on the exterior to match your brick-painting colors to your chimney bricks!

Hi Elaynempt!
We are in Seattle, Wa, but my mother is Canadian. Well, she WAS. She was born in Nanaimo BC on a dairy farm.

The family moved to Seattle when she was 4, and she had to renounce herCanadian citizenship when she became a U.S. citizen in her twenties. I have never been anywhere else but BC, and I LOVE Canada! I think the best memories of my life are on the farm, and my Aunties giving me Pears soap.

I never tell jokes, but my one joke is (which is probably old hat, there) is: How do you get Canadians to stop rioting? Punch line:"Please stop rioting"

I haven't been up to the island in years, and I still have hopes of getting my mom there. Our cousins who owned the farm, (2 brothers and a sister) never married, and left the
land to the Province to be kept in a wild state, and is called Hemer Park.

People sometimes joke about psychotherapy, but they help a lot of people. I know we in US would avoid many health issues, if we were provided with good mental health care before the "wheels fall off the wagon".

Sheila, If you think Evie (and you) would like to have any stories and photos from Ontario and my little farm-2 horses, one dog and one cat is all have now) i would be glad to be your 'pen pal' but I don't want to inundate this site. There is also one discussion asking if you have ever lived on a farm that you might find interesting. But if Evie would like my photos etc. send me a personal email: elayne@etasolutions.com and it might give you an idea of Ontario Canada...where the most recent Nobel prize for Writing comes from (Alice Munro). Lastly, I love your joke! Never heard it but seems fitting!

Congratulations on the great results. Like your arrangement of silver on the mantle and the pop of red in your accents is gorgeous. One last suggestion. Bring some of the same color of red onto the sofa in a throw cushion to tie the two together. Thanks for sharing the results of your project with us. That's our payment for all the input everyone gives as many of us are visual people here on Houzz. Happy Thanksgiving all.

Rediscover, my thoughts exactly! But I am going to wait until I find the 'right' stuff. Everything that is there are things I already had and loved. I too am very visual which can be a good and a bad thing!

Fabulous!

Ship model always looks good on the top of mantel www. gonautical.com