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Home Stager’s Guide to Updating Your Fireplace Bricks
By Erin | July 30, 2008
BEFORE AFTER
If you have a fireplace, it is almost certainly the focal point of your room. It follows, then, that this important feature should add to the beauty of your living space, not detract from it. A relatively quick and easy way to achieve this is to paint your fireplace bricks.
(Home staging tip: establish either the fireplace as the focal point, or a window with outstanding views. If you have neither, a sofa situated underneath interesting artwork can act as a good focal point.)
Many homes in Marin County were built during the 1960s and 1970s, and lots have fireplace bricks that are some combination of the following colors: orange, pink, black, deep red and white. To my eye, not the most attractive bricks ever made. It’s almost impossible to design a room around them because the look is so outdated and the color combination seems to clash (or at least not complement) many current color schemes.
For a long time, I resisted painting mine, because of a notion I had that you “shouldn’t” paint bricks, that they’re a sacred building material or something. I suppose in a historic home you might want to preserve the original materials. And it’s true that some homes do have pretty bricks. But otherwise, I say go for it, especially for home staging purposes. It transforms your room for the better, instantly creating a light, updated and uniform look that is much easier to decorate around. The above before and after photos are from a client’s house in Novato that we also staged.
What you need
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Paint brush
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Paint roller
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Blue painter’s tape
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All-purpose latex primer
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Interior semi-gloss paint
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Caulk and/or spackle
How to do it
Priming and painting interior brick is straight forward, and will take a few hours start to finish. At the paint store, choose a 100% acrylic universal primer. Figure about 250 square feet per gallon. The actual amount needed is affected by the condition of the brick and mortar, its porosity, plus the actual color and the possibility that you might need a second coat.
As for choosing paint, an interior latex semi-gloss is best. Many people go with white to match the mantel or other trim in the room. You could also pick a paint that is a couple shades lighter or darker than the wall color.
Prep the bricks: Small amounts of soot or powdery deposits aren’t a problem and can be sealed with a good primer. Heavy deposits of soot need to be removed by using mild soap and water. Rinse the brick well and allow to dry.
After cleaning, use some caulk or spackle to patch any gaps or holes that look too big to be filled with paint alone.
Prep your space: Use the blue painter’s tape on the wall, flooring or any surface you want to protect. Now you’re ready to prime and paint!
Start with the roller: Any size roller will work, even a weenie roller. Work the primer in all directions trying to cover as much brick and mortar as possible. The roller can push the primer or paint into large pores or small holes on the face of the brick but can’t adequately fill all of the mortar.
Time for the brush: A 2 ½ inch brush works well to fill in the mortar and to pick up any runs or drips. You’ll do a lot of dabbing to get the paint to fill in. Ideally, you want to fill in all the small holes with primer so the paint goes on smoothly. Pay attention to the corners of the brick, this is where most runs happen.
Paint is next: Let the primer dry (about an hour) and then repeat the above steps, but with the semi-gloss paint. Enjoy your updated fireplace!
Topics: Smart Home Improvement Ideas |
One Response to “Home Stager’s Guide to Updating Your Fireplace Bricks”
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June 18th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
[...] Home Stager Guide to Updating Your Fireplace Bricks Picture it Posted by root 5 days ago (http://pictureitsold.biz) Work the primer in all directions trying to cover as much brick and mortar you must be logged in to post a comment picture it sold the marin home stager blog marin home staging is proudly powered by wordpress designed by rfdn Discuss | Bury | News | Home Stager Guide to Updating Your Fireplace Bricks Picture it [...]