Annie Sloane whitewashed brick

Do not be afraid of painting brick.  I repeat... DO NOT be afraid of paint. I have thought about this project for about three years and finally took the plunge.

Behold my painted brick fireplace and white mantel.  

I searched the below hashtags on Instagram and found my below favorites.  They are both German Smear techniques.  I was way to afraid too try that process. 

I used a 50/50 solution of paint and water.

Before

 The outside brick on our house is the same color. I think, I want the german smear technique on the outside of the house. A girl can dream, right?

I removed everything, taped and cleaned the brick. I just wiped down the brick with a wet rag.

Below you can see my "test" corner.  That first brush stroke was so scary.  

TIP:  Old socks worked great to remove any drips or excess paint. 

 I painted the grout lines too.  From a grey to the whitewash. 

 I sent the below picture to my decorators. (aka: daughters) and they all agreed to get rid of the all the solid white bricks.  Yikes, was I too late, the first bricks were painted over an hour and half ago.  Not to worry, a rub down with a wet sock worked wonders. 

 I AM IN LOVE WITH THE FINISHED PROJECT!!!

 Before dark, old looking

 The finished fireplace project.  Swoon.

 Bright, light and updated. 

 The grands saw this picture and said, "Lala, you made a bed for the skeleton!"

Project details

Annie Sloane - Old White paint $39

Had my brush

Had old socks

Had paper and tape

Total renovation $39.00

Like I said do NOT be afraid of painting brick.