Painting a brick fireplace ?

[karmaz]

Any opinions about what to do with my hideous brick fireplace. I am all for painting it. Black or white ? As soon as I mention painting it black...people hold their hands up in horror. Would that really look so bad ? My husband wants to leave it as it is, if all the bricks where one colour I would probably agree with him and I wouldn't normally agree with painting brick work but this is just too much to sit at look at every day.

Thanks again Alice......can't wait to get started...will put a before and after picture once done.

Well finally got around to doing it...I am happy with it..husband liked it then wasn't so keen...but now likes it again...The children hate it. Had to use quite more than one coat of whitewash on it as the hideous bricks were still staring out at me....picture doesn't show it that well but there is still a little bit of light and shade ...big improvement to what it was....can't convince the children of that though !

I was going to say absolutely not. But some of those photos are quite nice. I know a couple of people with those brick fireplaces (not painted) and they both hate them. But the upheaval and cost of redecorating and probably new flooring as well puts them off getting rid of them. It's worth a try painting it.

oh, glad to read this thread!

what's the difference between white wash and white paint?

I disagree that 70s fire places are 'hideous'. I think they are just out of fashion. I don't mind mine really. I was thinking of painting the stones orange, but perhaps white (wash?) is more neutral. Or grey?

Ah, I see the updated picture. I like the bricks painted!

It looks like there are curtains over the fire place though!

White wash is half paint and half water mixed and you wipe off with a cloth as you go along.....I had to put two coats on like this and added more of the white wash in place and rubbed off more in others...as my husband tut tutted in the background. So some of the original brick colour shows through and isn't just a block white. Probably works best on older more 'weathered' bricks than I had. I did consider a grey wash but started with this white wash and then could have gone darker. I really hated the original bricks. As said before if they had all been one colour I would have left them .....but they were just too much. If I had my way I would have done them black but was overruled. At least this is the best of a bad situation in my opinion.

Thanks kamaz,

Think ill whitewash my 1970s fire place in grey.