Brick Fireplace Makeover Without Painting Brick

How we updated the focal point of our living room with a fresh new look while keeping true to the home’s craftsman style.  A DIY brick fireplace makeover without painting the red brick! We completed this project in one weekend.
DIY instructions and material list included.

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UPDATE: This project was in our previous home, our beloved first house purchase where we brought our babies home from the hospital.  We now live in our new home, but are so grateful for the memories we had around this fireplace for several years as we grew into the family we are today.

This built-in brick fireplace is part of what made me fall in love the first time I saw this home.  I just loved the light coming in through the cute little windows above it.  I could just picture a garland on the long mantle at Christmas time, and the built-in cabinets seemed perfect to hold family board games, books, and art supplies.  However, I did not love the fake-looking red brick fireplace or the red tile on the floor.  I knew one day we would find a way to update the existing brick to be more our style.  This is what we decided to do and I just loved the way this turned out, it ended up being one of my favorite DIY projects in our old house.  It went from a dated brick fireplace to a cottage-style brick fireplace in only a couple of days!

Part of my husband’s dream in our living room was to make this a working fireplace.  There was already a capped gas line in the floor that probably fed an old gas fireplace insert.  During our kitchen remodel before we moved in, we had a handyman check out the line after he rerouted the gas for our stove.  We bought a fireplace insert kit at Home Depot, which was simple to install.  It’s not the wood-burning fireplace of his dreams, but it has been a great way to enjoy a little fire on cold winter nights.

After refinishing the floors of our living room and priming and painting the old plaster walls a nice bright cream color (Behr – Toasted Oatmeal), it was time to give our little outdated fireplace a big facelift.  This whole project only took us one weekend.

How to Update The Floor Tile on a Fireplace

We did not want to spend very much money on this makeover so instead of putting in new tile we decided to paint the existing ceramic tile (It was still in great shape, just an ugly color.) We knew we wanted to use some type of gray paint which seemed to be the cheapest way to get a more contemporary look. We bought Stove Bright High-Temperature Paint in the color Charcoal.  

You can grab this at your local home improvement store or on Amazon.  There aren’t a lot of color options but this color worked well enough for the look we were going for, I ended up liking it more than I thought I would!

Warning! Full disclosure – This stuff is potent!  If we had to do it all over again I probably wouldn’t want to be in our living space while it was drying.  It was not a good idea, it was nasty stuff.  Learn from my mistakes.  But the end result is wonderful!  When I’m writing this post it has been about 2 years since we painted it and it looks as good as it did the first day.  We decided not to paint the mortar to hopefully give it a more realistic and aged look.  We love the way this turned out!

We used a mini foam paint roller and it only took 2 coats of paint. 

It has a very matte finish which I really liked, and this fresh paint added so much visual appeal to the fireplace project!  

What a big difference a fresh coat of paint can make!  We decided not to paint the mortar in between the tiles, it was already gray and we hoped it would give an older feel.

Updating The Brick

As for the fireplace brick, we decided we wanted it to have a warmer cottage feel to compliment the style of the 1920’s home.  We didn’t like the look of the dark mortar between the bricks, we wanted it to look lighter and have an older feel to it.  After some research, we decided the best way to do this would be to resurface the mortar joints to look more like old-fashioned mortar. 

To accomplish this look we used a mixture of mortar mix and a bit of all-purpose sand.  Both can be found at any hardware store.  The sand gives the mortar mix an antiqued look which made this look a little more like an old fireplace instead of an addition.

I LOVE the way our entire brick fireplace and living room space looks now!  It made a huge difference and helped to give the center of our home a new, fresh look.

See the detailed instructions below.

Full Supply List and Instructions for DIY Fireplace Makeover and Painting Floor Tile with High-Temperature Paint

Supplies You Will Need

The Projected Project Timeline: About 3 days after work (evenings) or 1 weekend

Most of these supplies can be found at your local hardware store or home improvement store.  We have also included Amazon links to products if you find that more convenient.

For The Mortar Between Brick:

• Quikrete mortar mix 10 pound bag (we used about half bag)
• Quikrete all-purpose sand (we used a cup or two)
• Nitrile gloves
• Drywall Mud Pan
• Spray bottle
• 4″ or 6″ Putty Knife
• Wire brush

For Painting The Floor Tile:

• Stove Bright High-Temperature Paint- Color: Charcoal – brush on 1 pt high-temperature paint color 62M201 (we used less than half)
• Purdy 144080310 XL Series Dale Angular Trim Paint Brush, 1 inch
• TSP or TSP-PF 
• Nitrile gloves
• Small foam roller
• Protective eyewear
• large drop cloth or plastic sheeting

Instructions

For The Brick Mortar:

Here is what we did on our fireplace, which worked well because the mortar joints were deeply set into the brick about 1/2 inch.  

If your mortar isn’t deeply inset like ours, I highly suspect a wet mix of mortar could simply be painted over the joints with a small stiff paintbrush after prepping them as described below.

• First, use a wire brush to sweep off the mortar joints.  Dust and dirt can get in there and it will prevent the mortar from sticking as well as it should.
• Next, use a water-filled spray bottle and generously spray the brick and joints. Repeat two more times, waiting a few minutes each time for the surface to absorb the water. This is a very important step that enables the new mortar to bond to the existing surface.
• Fill the mud box about 1/4 full with mortar and add about 1/4 cup of coarse all-purpose sand.  The sand darkens the mortar and adds an older style of roughness. This is the easiest way (and a cheap way!) to create the illusion of age.  Add the water slowly and mix until the mortar holds in a wet mound.  If it is too soupy and levels with a shake, add some more mortar.  This isn’t an exact science but should be fairly intuitive.

Mortar Application:

• During the application process, lightly spray the brick with the spray bottle to keep the surface damp.
• Start applying the mortar in the most inconspicuous spot.  Start by loading the putty knife with about a 1/2 inch of mortar.  Slide the mortar into the joint with your fingers and press it in carefully being careful not to get mortar on the brick face.  
• Work over a two to three-foot section.  Then go back and dig some of the mortar out of the joint until you like the look.  You don’t want the mortar to be exactly flush with the edge of the brick or else it won’t look realistic.  I returned the removed mortar to the box and periodically added water to keep the mortar moist and the consistency workable.
• With a wet cloth, wipe off the brick face of any stray mortar.  This must be done immediately while the mortar is still wet.
• After letting the mortar set up for about a half-hour, I went over the brick with a wire brush and wet cloth again to completely clean the brick facing.

For The Tile:

• Clean the tile surface with a quick wipe-down using a standard TSP-PF solution and a cloth.  Follow the instructions on the box.  Be sure to wear protective gloves and eyewear.  Allow the cleaner to fully dry.
• Place exhaust fans in windows to establish a well-ventilated room.  This is very important with this paint.
• Brush or roll on the paint, working from the wall side out.  We used a small foam roller, and our tile was covered nicely with two coats.

*Be aware that the paint might give off nasty fumes the first few times you use the fireplace, depending on how hot the tiles or bricks get.  It is a good idea to burn off the excess fumes while you are still ventilating the room.

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