Transform An Ugly Fireplace With Paint

in DIY Tutorials, by Anne

I bet you didn’t know you could transform an ugly fireplace with paint - just paint! You don’t have to spend hundreds to rip out your old fireplace and replace it. We certainly didn’t have that kind of cash. We would’ve had to pay to get it taken out and taken away because it was solid granite.As you can see, it was grey and looked like slabs of concrete chucked together. I’ll show you how you too can transform an ugly fireplace with paint.

Note: you can see how the transformation of this fireplace positively enhanced the entire living room after our make-over. It can be found at the Living Room makeover link on our Extreme home-makeover page.

old, grey fireplace

with some of it primed, it's starting to look better

Transform an ugly fireplace with paint

My initial plan was just to paint the fireplace to tide us over until we could afford a new one. However, I noticed that just one coat of primer gave it quite a lift. Three coats of white paint later, and this (below) is what it looked like. Now we’re keeping it! I’ve got another small idea to finish off the front. I’ll update you later with that.

The new fireplace

who needs a new fireplace?

painted fireplace

The fireplace does look brand new! This cost us less than £5.00 I would guess. See the entire look at this living room makeover article. Of course, the time I spent on it is worth a lot more. I used brilliant white, gloss paint for wood and metal. Because I used primer under the paint, it held on properly. Always use primer on materials you’re not sure about before painting.

A close-up. I also removed the grate and painted that with black, metal paint. The middle of the fireplace is also painted (after being primed) with the same colour. Some pebbles and a large candle give the finishing touch. Oh, in case you’re wondering, I wrapped the candle with a piece of cloth, cardboard and string. Let me know if you want to see it closer. It can’t be easier to transform an ugly fireplace with paint. See more of our extreme home makeovers here.