Bye Bye Brass Fireplace!
/So many aspects of our houses just need a tiny bit of TLC to make us feel happier with the place we call home. In this case, an afternoon and a can of spray paint made spending this winter inside cozied up next to the fire feel less like an UGHH staring at this old brass insert and more like an AHHH because it’s no longer an eyesore. I ran into a friend the other day who was hoping for a more detailed breakdown of this transformation so I figured I’d share my process with the world so y’all can come to love your living room a little more too.
The Before: Gold Fireplace, Wood Trim, Green Walls, and all!
First, if your insert is easily removable (lucky you), I would 100% recommend tackling this project outside and just taping off the glass doors. If you aren’t this lucky, I’m right there with you, just follow along.
Grab your painters tape (I swear by Frog Tape) and tape off the glass doors leaving only the metal exposed. I also taped off a little section of my handles that were wood so only the metal parts would get painted black. I got excited to start so this step is shown on my before photo above!
Use masking paper to cover your hearth and the remainder of your fireplace. Make sure you get it in really tight behind the insert so your spray doesn’t creep its way under an onto your bricks. Tape from right behind the inset onto your paper to make sure.
Remove as much as you can from the room, and cover any and all other surfaces you don’t want spray paint settling on with more masking paper, tarps, etc.
Open all windows and doors. Grab your face mask, goggles, and High Heat Black Spray Paint and go to town…. in very light layers at a time. Since this is inside you have to really be careful about how much your spraying or you’ll end up with black cloud in your living room. I just left the house and played outside while I let each coat dry for a few minutes.
When the whole fireplace is covered it should have a pretty even matte black appearance. I let it dry for a few hours and peeled off the tape before bed because you know I wouldn’t be able to sleep without seeing the finished look!
As far as DIY’s go this one was pretty quick and easy if you’ve spray painted before. The only tricky part is that it’s inside so you have to make sure you’re space is well ventilated and that you don’t rush it to avoid that black cloud (can you tell I learned my lesson here).
The After: Freshly painted fireplace surround, neutral walls, and white trim. So much better!
I took on this project last fall and our family has enjoyed numerous fires since then. The paint has held up wonderfully and it totally changed the aesthetic of the room now that it’s black. The focal point is now the warmth of the fire when its on and not the shiny brass surround that dated the space.
