White Brick Fireplace Makeover {A Modern Farmhouse Fireplace Makeover}

Looking to paint your fireplace white? Today, I’m sharing before and after pics of our white brick fireplace makeover! Come see the difference some paint can make!

If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you know that we’ve made many updates to our early-1970’s-era home.

We’ve updated the kitchen, painted almost every inch of our walls, and replaced much of the flooring.

Today, I’m sharing one of our favorite projects to date.

We recently converted our wood burning fireplace to gas, and did a little makeover of our fireplace that I am so excited to share with you!

White Brick Fireplace Makeover-Step by Step

First of all, let me share a pic of our fireplace when we first moved in. I have no idea why wood paneling was so popular in the 70’s, but there you have it…

This room gets very little light anyway, so you can only imagine how dark and dreary this room looked.

We quickly painted the wood paneling, and then, a few years later painted the fireplace white. Here’s a quick how-to…

How to Paint a Brick Fireplace

First, you’ll need to use a wire brush to clean the brick and remove any loose pieces. Vacuum these pieces up.

Use a sponge or cloth to wipe down the fireplace with cleaner.

Priming is a necessary step to painting a brick fireplace.

Using a good primer and brush, press the paint into the cracks and crevices of the mortar and brick.

Then, use either a brush or mini roller to apply the primer to the rest of the brick. This can take a bit of time, as you’ll want to get into all the little cracks and holes in the brick.

Let dry completely, and finish with 1-2 coats of white, interior latex paint. If you’re unsure on which white paint to use here, we would recommend using the brick fireplace paint kit available from Brick-Anew.

It’s a BIG job that makes a world of difference to the look and feel of your room!

Just this summer, though, we decided it was time for an even bigger change.

We had a local company insert gas logs so we could enjoy our fireplace without the inconvenience of a real fire.

We were SO excited to finally get this done, but we knew that there were some safety concerns with a gas fireplace that we needed to address. Especially when it comes to Carbon Monoxide (CO).

Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless and deadly gas that can be produced by any fuel-burning device.  CO alarms detect this poisonous gas and provide early warning.

Before using our new fireplace, we made sure to install First Alert alarms so that our family would stay safe. First Alert has a variety of CO alarms that fit your family’s needs!

I want to share more about the importance of CO safety, but first, I want to share a little more about our fireplace makeover.

In addition to installing gas logs, we wanted to add shiplap to the upper half of the the fireplace, as well as replace the mantle.

Here’s what we started with…

My husband installed the shiplap (this took about a day), I painted it, and we were ready to decorate!

This was one of those weekend DIYs that truly only took a weekend.

We added an inexpensive brass mirror from Target and a couple of faux topiary plants (these are out of stock but you can find something similar here) that I love.

We also found and fell in love with this rustic wood mantel. The price is right, and it fits our style perfectly.

I especially love how it contrasts with the white of the shiplap and brick.

I may, down the road, add more to the mantle, but right now I’m enjoying the simplicity of a pared down mantle…

I adore our new fireplace makeover, and can sleep easy at night knowing that First Alert is keeping me and my family safe!

Thanks for reading all about our White Brick Fireplace Makeover {A Modern Farmhouse Fireplace Makeover}.

Have you ever painted a brick fireplace white? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. Don’t let the beep steal your sleep.