How to Paint a Dated Fireplace
- 1). Clean the fireplace by sweeping and vacuuming up all of the dirt, debris and ashes. Scrub down the face and hearth of the fireplace with TSP, using a nylon scrub brush and wiping off the residue with rags. Remove as much of the filth as possible.
- 2). Tape off the surrounding walls, mantel, floors or anything else adjacent to the fireplace, using painter's tape and plastic sheeting.
- 3). Paint the mortar joints first, using a 2-inch-wide paintbrush. Apply a primer rated for heat and fireplace applications. This type of primer will also seal the surface. Painting the mortar is often time-consuming because there will be a lot of holes, cracks and seams, and mortar absorbs moisture and will suck the paint dry quickly, requiring you to use more primer.
- 4). Roll the primer over the surface of the masonry, using a thicker-nap roller. This type of roller on the rough surface will tend to splatter on all nearby surfaces, so wear old clothing and keep wet washrags handy to wipe off necessary areas. Allow the primer to dry for 24 hours.
- 5). Apply a heat-rated paint designed to work well with your primer. If you are painting your mortar a different color from your bricks, paint the mortar first. Use the same painting techniques you used with the primer. This coat of paint should cover more quickly because the primer will have sealed off some of the moisture-drawing properties of the masonry. Allow the paint to dry for four hours before you apply a second coat. Allow the final coat to dry for 24 hours.
- 6). Paint the surface bricks with one color if you are matching the grout, or use five or six colors if you are creating faux brick colors. Pour paint into each tray, and use a small foam roller for each. Randomly paint your colors on bricks across the face of the fireplace. Each brick should have some of the colors of other bricks, even if it is just a small amount. After the face bricks are painted, use a smaller angled brush to paint around the edges without painting over the mortar.
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