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.
