FoxCarr

If you’re like us, you LOVE the idea of a cozy and cuddly fireplace. Not only does it sound amazing on cold and wintery nights, but it also makes for a fun focal point when decorating a room. The problem however, is that when I envision a fireplace, it is often much more glamorous than the average fireplace. Or at least the one in our home. (!!!) You know the ones, they’re dated and reflect the style of the 90’s.

It simply didn’t match the “vision” I had, and it was time for a Fireplace Update!

Truth be told, we lived in our home for almost 5 years before actually making this update. (Because yes, procrastination is a problem.) When we first took a tour of our home, it was one of the first things I said I’d change right away. And then life happened… budgets, kids, work etc.

The fireplace makeover was placed on hold.

Fast-forward to 2020, and all this time at home during the pandemic has forced me to regularly stare at the things I’d like to change our home. I suppose it’s a blessing in disguise because we are finally making some progress!

Our fireplace was made up of dated tiles, a wood mantle and gold details on the fireplace cover. There were some parts of it, such as the wood mantle, that weren’t awful. Even the gold is making a comeback in some ways. But we knew it just wasn’t the “pop” we wanted.

As with most projects, I am always looking to do them in the most affordable and time saving way.

So I started doing my own Pinterest research and Googling to get some ideas. I saw a few examples that made painting the fireplace seem extremely simple and very low cost. Rust-Oleum offers a tile paint kit in a variety of colors that can update tile, (on your fireplace AND floor) and it WORKS.

DIY Fireplace Makeover Supplies

Off to Home Depot I went. I knew I wanted a white and matte black color scheme one way or another. You can tint the tile paint to a variety of different colors, but that wasn’t needed in this instance. Just the basic kit that included a white, matte finish base, and top coat was needed for this fireplace update. They also include a cleaner in the kit for prep. Though I’m not entirely sure how this differs from good ole’ soap and water.

The tile paint kit costs about $40, not bad! I do want to mention that when I started the project, I wasn’t entirely sure if the mantle would be white or black. I ended up going with white. If you also decide to also use white, you may want to pick up an extra can of paint itself for your fireplace makeover. (not in the kit, but sold separately) I found that white obviously required more coats than other shades and I BARELY had enough white to finish it. This is also likely due to the texture in our tile, which absorbed more paint in my opinion.

I also used Rust-Oleum High Heat paint in black. This was simply for covering the gold details but would also be appropriate for a fire. I grabbed some blue painters tape, paint brushes and a couple different small rollers as well as a tray to pour paint in for rolling.

The Fireplace Update Process

That evening I waited for the kids to go to bed. I recommend you do this as well, depending on the ages of your children since they may not necessarily understand the boundary on wet paint. Nothing was sanded in this project.

First, we began by giving everything a good sweep, vacuum and wash. I mixed half of the kit cleaner, half water and wiped it all down with a rag. After cleaning and drying, I began taping it off. You can certainly skip taping it off if you’re one of those that maintains control, I do not. 🙂

After prep, it was pretty simple and straightforward. I applied the paint with a brush in tight spaces, and rolled the rest of it. The tile itself took about 3 coats and the wood was even more. The paint does dry fairly quickly. I think I did a couple coats in one night and a third coat the last night. I let it dry for a full 24 hours before applying the top coat. Like I said previously, if you aren’t using white or painting the wood mantel, then you likely will not need that additional can of paint mentioned above.

The black high heat paint also took three coats on the gold plating. I didn’t remove the fireplace doors for this, I just carefully painted it free hand.

This is where the fireplace update really started to come together.

The top coat was easy breezy. However, I was a little bit confused. After I opened and stirred it, I couldn’t believe how thin and watery it was. I even did research wondering if there was something wrong with the paint. (lol) I couldn’t find anything, so I hoped for the best and went on with it. It took very little time and seemed to successfully seal it.

Wrapping Up

I allowed 48 hours for it to fully dry and absorb the top coat before putting anything decorative back on it. But I truly think the fireplace update turned out great! I was excited for the “refresh” that it immediately gave our living room and for so cheap! I wish I wouldn’t have procrastinated for as long as I had.

If you have dated tile anywhere throughout your home, this kit could be a way to update it on a budget. I can’t personally speak of its’ durability because we don’t walk all over it very much, but it’s held up so far for us and I think it would be worth a try.

Let us know your thoughts below and check out another DIY Home Project here!