White Washed Brick Fireplace~Tutorial

Before sharing today's DIY project, I wanted to announce that my E-Book "DIY Interior Design For Real People" is currently available in a gigantic bundle of 76+ DIY related E-books ($34.95 for the complete bundle) for the next five days only. Please click here for details.

A few weeks ago, I shared a living room before and after.  Since the post, I have received requests for a tutorial on the fireplace transformation.  Ask and ye shall receive.  

Meet Sarah and EJ (the homeowners)...

I've already introduced you to Zeke {the real owner of this space} but, in case you missed it,

 here he is again...

I've worked with them in a few areas of their stunning traditional style home.

These guys are not afraid to tackle a DIY project.  Not only are they not intimidated to try any kind of DIY project but,  they knock it out of the park every time.  

Case in point, after a brief consultation in their living room, they took it from this...

{Before}

To this...

{After}

in no time flat.  

Immediately after I met with Sarah and discussed the option of painting their fireplace, they got to work researching brick painting techniques.   They decided to go for a white-wash finish as opposed to an opaque paint finish {which was a great choice}.  They tucked their 4 small children into bed and went to town on the fireplace.  This project took about 3 hours to complete.  

Here's what they used:

1.  latex paint (Sherwin Williams Cashmere Paint~Medium Lustre~Luminous White)

2.  water

3.  a paint brush

4.  a rag

Here's how they did it...

First, they removed the wood mantle.  Then, using a mixture of equal parts of latex paint and water, one of them applied it to the bricks with a paintbrush while the other followed behind with a rag removing the access.

After one application, they were happy with the results.  You can use multiple coats (by repeating the process) depending on the coverage you prefer.  The white wash technique allows the variation in the color of the bricks to show through.  Brick is extremely porous and absorbs paint unevenly, which is a good thing in this example.  It created a beautiful, aged finish full of character.  All brick is different, if possible, my advice is to spot test this technique on your brick material in an inconspicuous area prior to tackling this project.  This will insure that you will be happy with the results. Sarah and EJ spot tested under their mantle. 

If your mantle cannot be removed and your intention is not to paint it, you may want to cover it with plastic and tape to prevent drips.

I apologize if you were waiting for a long, drawn out, step by step tutorial.  This project is too simple and easy for me to complicate.  If you are a fan of intimidating, stressful, complicated, multi-step, time-consuming, DIY projects that require a ton of special supplies and mad skills, this isn't the project for you. 

EJ and Sarah, thanks for letting me share your project.

Once again, you guys have done a phenomenal DIY job. 

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