An update on our painted stone fireplace
As many of you know, when we purchased our current home I thought for sure we would demo the fireplace before even moving in. After much consideration (which actually means one 10 minute meeting with a contractor who was throwing out big numbers and realizing we would still have a raised hearth) I said to my husband, “What if we just painted it white?”
Well, of course that’s exactly what we did and we turned a design challenge into something we like. Almost once a year I feel like it needs freshening up. Since I’ve been using Chalk Paint decorative Paint by Annie Sloan I thought why not paint the fireplace with Chalk Paint decorative paint. I love using the paint. It covers so well. I reached out to the company and they supplied a bit of information that is useful especially if you are in the decision process of painting brick or stone. Here’s what they said: Chalk Paint adheres very well to marble, stone, wood and brick fireplaces with no undercoat required. Make sure the fireplace is cold before you start painting in order to prevent the paint from cracking. You can leave the paint unsealed or finish with Clear Chalk Paint® Wax if you wish. Remember to leave the wax to cure for 48 hours before exposing it to heat. You can water it down, if needed. I did not use a sealer or wax and am very happy with the look. Since my fireplace was already painted, it was a breeze to paint. (You can see a before in this post). They sent me a small sponge roller which I loved using. Previously I had only used a brush when painting it and the roller really sped things up. I only had to go back in a few areas with a brush. Start to finish for a touch up that used about 1 1/3 quarts of Pure White Chalk Paint took about 1 hour, plus clean up time. The Chalk Paint decorative paint covers better than any paint I’ve ever used. When I have a can in my hands I’m practically looking for other things to paint before I clean up. I did put a coat of paint on the window seat in our dining room. It looks soooo good!Painting brick or stone is a decision that you want to be sure of before painting, but once you decide to paint, the type of paint to use is definitely Chalk Paint decorative paint by Annie Sloan. Our kitchen floors are the next big thing I would love to paint with Chalk paint. If I had a dollar for every time I thought about re-painting those floors….sigh…
12 Days of Holiday Homes
I missed a few days, but wanted to be sure and give you the links to these gorgeous homes all decked for the holidays!
Summer Adams, This is Our Bliss, A Blissful Nest, Life at Home 2102 and Home by Heidi.
Thank you Lynch Creek Farm for sponsoring and giving us all beautiful wreaths!
Wow ! Looks really beautiful – I do love your painted fireplace !
I am a fan of ASCP as well, but up to now have only used it on furniture. But I agree – it couldn’t be easier and covers beautifully.
Please let us know if you decided to paint your floors. I have been considering that for YEARS, but am afraid to take the plunge.
Our engineered hardwood floors really need replacing, they are in such horrible shape and can’t be sanded again, but it just isn’t in the budget……
Thanks for a beautiful and most enjoyable blog !
Hi Annie, just wanted to say a quick thank you for this and your other posts about painting fireplaces. My friend is buying a house with a hideous fireplace and she wasn’t sure whether she could bear to live with it while she decided what renovations and redecorating to do. I sent her the link – problem solved!
HI Judy,
Yes, even if it’s a temporary fix which was what we thought in the beginning, it does make it bearable while your friend decides what to do for a long term fix! White paint fixes almost everything!
Annie
Hi. The fireplace looks great and I’m hoping to do this very soon to ours. We purchased our 1970s house 6 years ago and previous owner was a smoker. We resurfaced all walls etc and removed basically all soft furnishings and primed walls and ceiling with oil based primers etc to prevent bleeding. I wonder about the rock on fireplace and if nicotine would bleed through the white paint and make it yellow looking. So my question to you, if you were going to paint this would you do kilz primer plus regular white, or kilz and ascp? I appreciate your reply.
HI Sarah,
Before applying anything I would clean it with something like a Lysol All-purpose cleaner with bleach and then maybe even another time with bleach and water…then use a primer like Kilz. Have you consulted with professionals at the Benjamin Moore counter at your local store or even Home Depot? I would get a couple of painters opinions on how to get rid of the smokers residue before putting anything on it.
Good luck and I would love to see a before and after!
Annie
This looks beautiful! I’ve been reading up on using chalk paint for painting stone and a lot of ppl mix the chalk paint with water? Did you do this? I’m not white washing so I’m not certain if this step is crucial or not?
I was also wondering if you used the same color on your walls as you did your fireplace?
Hi Jamie,
I wouldn’t mix the paint with water…one of the things I appreciated about using chalk paint was the thickness that really covered the stone so well. I did use the same color letting the stone provide texture. I used the same color because I kind of wanted too make the fireplace “go away” and not stand out. I loved it even more than I thought I would once it was white! I used cream colored pillows from Pottery Barn (the faux sheepskin) to again provide texture, but not add any color. Hope that helps.
I also have a raised hearth with dark beige stone and wanted to paint it to freshen and lighten the look until we decide to demo and redo the fireplace sometime in the future. My only concern is that with chalk paint, do you notice it rub off onto clothing when anyone sits on it? I have a can of matte polyurathane and was wondering if I should go over just the hearth seating area with it after.
HI Komal, Chalk paint is just as durable as any paint. It has a flat “chalky” finish, but don’t let the name scare you. It’s every bit as durable was any paint. We used in to paint some very brown ugly tile and the chalk paint adhered very well and is not showing any signs of wear and tear even after a year in a very high traffic area of the house! I would love to see before and afters if you decide to do it! Happy New Year!
Annie
Love how the fireplace turned out! It’s beautiful! Did have one question which is hard to tell from the photos:
Does the stone still look “real” or does it look like it was painted? Meaning does the white painted stone look like what real white stone would look like if that makes sense!
Ours is a tan (some orangish brown stone) and I want it to look like real Austin white stone.
Thanks! You did a beautiful job and i love the finished product!
Hi Jennifer,
It looks like painted stone, real stone that has been painted, but it does look painted!
I bought a new construction inventory home that I live except for the stone fireplace. It’s the irregular stone randomly stacked. I hate to waste resources (for the time being) and think I would be happy if I painted. I love your fireplace painted! What color did you use?
Hi Alicia, We used Cloud White by Benjamin Moore. We painted everything the same color of white. The stone, the walls, trim…even the mantel all white. I think the texture provides enough and so painting it all one color makes it sort of blend in.
Beautiful pictures! Thanks for posting this!