Fireplace painting in Naperville, IL: brick surrounds and mantels

What painting a brick fireplace involves

Brick looks solid but behaves like a sponge. It holds soot, smoke film and sometimes white salt deposits called efflorescence, and paint fails on all three. So the first visit is cleaning: a degreasing masonry cleaner, a stiff brush and enough dry time before anything goes on.

After that the job is straightforward. Paint goes on over a masonry primer in two coats, worked into the mortar joints with a brush. Limewash goes straight onto clean, unpainted brick in thin coats. The mantel is a separate piece of woodwork: sanded, primed and finished in enamel.

Paint, limewash or leave the brick

What changes the price of a fireplace job

Fireplace work is usually priced as one job rather than by the square foot, because setup and cleaning take as long as the coating.

• The size of the brick face, floor to ceiling or a short surround
• How much soot and smoke staining has to come off
• Brick that was already painted and is now peeling
• Repairs to a cracked or split wood mantel
• Whether the hearth is included

Painting a Brick Fireplace

Paint gives the cleanest change: a dark red or orange brick wall turns into one even color that matches the room. We use a masonry primer and a heat-tolerant finish on the face, brushed into every mortar joint so no red shows in the lines up close. Satin or matte reads like a finished wall; gloss on brick shows every bump and chip. White and warm grays are the usual choices, and we test a patch near the floor first so you can judge it in your own light.

Limewash on Fireplace Brick

Limewash is mineral, not a paint film, so it soaks into the brick and dries chalky and slightly uneven, which is exactly the look people want from it. It only works on brick that has never been painted, because it needs bare masonry to bond to. Two or three thin coats build the depth you choose, and more brick shows through with fewer coats. It can be partly washed back while wet for a worn look, and over the years it softens rather than peels.

Wood Mantels and Surrounds

Many fireplaces from the 1990s have an oak or pine mantel shelf with side legs. We sand them, fill splits and nail holes, prime and finish in enamel to match the room's trim, or restain if you would rather keep the wood. The mantel is masked off from the brick so each surface gets its own product, and the shelf gets the hardest enamel since it holds candles, frames and holiday decorations. Gas fireplace surrounds get the same care, with the glass and controls covered.

Fireplaces in Naperville family rooms

How we paint a fireplace

1. 1

   Protect the room

   Floor, hearth and nearby walls covered; the firebox opening sealed off.

2. 2

   Clean the brick

   Degreasing cleaner and brushing, then full dry time.

3. 3

   Prime or wet the brick

   Masonry primer for paint, a light misting for limewash.

4. 4

   Coat the brick

   Two coats brushed into the joints, or limewash in thin layers.

5. 5

   Finish the mantel

   Sanded, primed and enameled or restained.

Doing it yourself: what to watch

A fireplace is a common weekend project. Three things decide whether it lasts.