Hi friends! Thank you for all your interest on how we chalk painted our brick fireplace surround! I shared some behind in the scenes in Instagram stories, but also wanted to share my DIY best practices in a full blog post that you could refer back to as you tackle your own projects.
Below is a before picture of the space we updated.
The walls were royal blue with a red brick surround and dingy white carpet. I knew we would be lighting up this formal dining room with new paint and flooring, but I since the exterior of our home is Bedford stone I felt like the fireplace needed a makeover as well. The red brick simply didn't go with my design concept :)
If you've been following me for very long, you know we are a stockist of Jeanne d'Arc Living chalk paint. Chalk paint can truly transform furniture pieces and spaces on a budget and for this project I selected natural white.
I'm thrilled to share that this makeover took less than 30 minutes and I only needed one sample size can of chalk paint which retails for $12. Talk about a MAJOR win!
DIY PROCESS
Step 1: CLEAN.
I started by cleaning the brick with a mild cleaning solution and let dry. The beauty of working with chalk paint is NO other prep-work was required.
Step 2: APPLICATION
I love Jeanne d'Arc Living chalk paint. It's a thicker paint and applies beautifully. To apply the chalk paint, I used my Jeanne d'Arc Living round brush (size 10) which retails for $18. As you can see from the photo, this brush has seen a lot of chalk paint :) The brush lasts forever though as long as you simply remember to clean with soap and water after each project. The quality of the brush you use can make all the difference with a chalk paint project. I love that this brush doesn't shed or leave hairs behind.
For application, I only applied one light coat of paint to cover up the redness of the brick I also painted the mortar, but just lightly brushed it to leave some dimension. As the chalk paint would begin to dry (within minutes), I took my brush back over the paint to reveal just a small amount of the brick texture. See below.
In case you are wondering, I did not seal or wax the fireplace and it's holding up great! Just personal preference.
Overall, I'm so thrilled with how this project came out. It was quick, budget-friendly and HIGH IMPACT! Here's a before and after. Keep in mind, we also updated the wall color, flooring, light fixture and decor to bring the interior design concept for our formal dining room together.
BEFORE
AFTER
I love this fireplace transformation and how well it works in this space now. I would love to hear your thoughts on this DIY project in the comments below and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
As always, thanks for stopping by the blog and supporting this dream of mine!
Xx,
Amy
Sources:
- Flooring: French Oak at Home Depot
- Wall Color: Intense White by Benjamin Moore
- Trim: Simply White by Benjamin Moore
- Chandelier: Vintage Find
Have you used the fireplace for a fire since painting it? Is that even possible? What if you sell the house and move, can the next owner, even if you’re not going to? Resell is a huge consideration for most people even though it looks great. Thanks.