Brick Fireplace Painting

A new look for an old fireplace

A brick fireplace can be painted, and painting the brick is one of the fastest ways to change a dark or orange fireplace that sets the tone for a whole room. The brick keeps its texture. The key is knowing which parts can be painted and which part has to be left to heat-rated coatings.

Safe Choice Painting paints fireplace brick as part of our interior painting work.

Which parts of a fireplace can be painted?

• The face and surround. The brick around the opening and up the wall takes masonry primer and paint like any interior brick.
• The hearth. The raised or floor-level hearth is painted with a harder finish, since it takes feet, logs and tools.
• The firebox. The inside of the fireplace, where the fire burns, is a different case.

The Brick Industry Association's Technical Note 6 says no treatment should go on a working firebox unless the coating maker designates it for that use. High-heat paints exist for this: Rutland sells a 1200 F brush-on paint for fireboxes and stoves, in flat black. That is the only kind of product that belongs inside. On most jobs we stop the paint at the opening and leave the firebox as it is, or refresh it in flat black high-heat paint if you want a clean, dark interior.

How the brick is prepared

Fireplace brick collects soot and smoke film, and paint will not hold over it.

1. Clean. Soot and smoke stains are scrubbed off with a masonry cleaner and rinsed, then the brick dries fully.
2. Check the mortar. Loose or crumbling joints are pointed out before painting, since paint will not hold them together.
3. Protect. The floor, mantel and walls around the brick are covered and masked.
4. Prime. A masonry primer seals the brick and helps block smoke stains from bleeding through.
5. Paint. Two coats, worked into the mortar joints with a brush and the faces with a thick-nap roller.

Picking a finish and color

A flat or matte finish keeps the look of real brick, while gloss shines on every joint and edge. White and off-white are the most common choices, though grays, greige and deep colors look good on a fireplace that anchors the room. Painting the brick and the wall the same color makes a large fireplace feel smaller. A contrasting color makes it the focal point.

If you want some of the brick to show through, a thinned or washed finish is another option, and we can talk through that look at the walkthrough.

Fireplaces in 1980s and 1990s homes

Many fireplaces we paint are floor-to-ceiling brick walls from homes of that era. In Corinth about 54 percent of homes were built from 1980 to 1999, and in Highland Village about 49 percent, by Census estimates. A full brick wall takes more prep and paint than a small surround, so the estimate lists the wall, the hearth and any brick ledge on its own line. See interior painting in Corinth and in Highland Village.

Before you decide

Painted brick is a long-term choice. Getting paint back out of brick texture and mortar is slow and rarely complete. If you are on the fence, a sample board or a painted test area in a low corner helps. For brick outside the house, see brick house painting and our answer on whether to paint a brick house.

Gas logs and inserts stay in place and are masked. Painting is done with the fireplace cold and not in use, and the paint must dry and cure before the next fire.

The mantel

A wood mantel can be painted to match the brick, painted in a contrast color or left in its stain. A stained mantel against painted brick is one common choice. Either way, the mantel is masked or painted as its own step.

Fireplace walls with drywall

Many fireplaces have drywall on both sides of the brick, or a drywall chase above the mantel. Those walls are painted with the rest of the room, and the line where the paint meets the brick is cut by hand so it stays crisp.

Nearby

• Brick fireplace painting in Denton, TX
• Interior painting
• Brick house painting
• Interior painting in Corinth, TX
• Limewash brick
• Whitewash brick