How to Paint a Brick Fireplace

Brief 

If your brick fireplace is looking tired and shabby, or it looks like it belongs in a different decade, painting it is a quick and simple solution. Here are the tips and tricks you need to make it happen.

Insight

Painting a brick fireplace is a job you can do yourself which can instantly transform your room back into the space you fell in love with.

If your brick fireplace is looking tired and shabby, or it looks like it belongs in a different decade, painting it is a quick and simple solution. Not only can you hide away the bad, but you can bring your room up to date by painting it in a cool contemporary colour, which can be just as transformative as painting a wall.

Here are the tips and tricks you need to make it happen.

Painting a Brick Fireplace: What Tools Will I Need?
You’ll need the following tools to ensure you’re equipped for each stage of preparation and application:

• Wire brush
• Bucket
• Dust sheets
  Rubber gloves
• Paintbrush
• Roller
• Paint

Clean Your Fireplace

Whatever the condition of your brick fireplace or chimney you will need to give it a clean first. The newer your fireplace is the less work you will likely have to do, but it still needs to be done.

Before you start, make sure that you have plenty of dust sheets in place; it could get messy. To start you will need to give it a good brush down with a stiff brush or broom to get rid of any soot, loose debris, dirt and cobwebs.

The next stage is to clean the brickwork. Get yourself a stiff scrubbing brush or wire brush and a bucket of warm soapy water. A squirt or two of washing up liquid usually does the trick. However, if you have more stubborn stains or grease spots you can try sugar soap or a specialist brick cleaner for really stubborn stains.