Pics of our FR black painted brick fireplace (long post)
We recently (finally!) renovated the bottom floor of our bi-level (Hi-Ranch, raised ranch....) home. Some background; we've been living in the house for 13+ years, and renovating it bit by bit. We've been using the FR for storage as well as a "staging ground" during the renovations of other rooms. When we moved in, the downstairs had musty yucky paneling throughout. There was no sheetrock, and no insulation behind it. A full brick wall fp (red brick with black, yes, black mortar), a "dry bar", textured ceilings and cracked and broken vinyl floor tile completed the picture.
Early on, DH and I tore the walls and ceilings down to the studs and beams--the floor and brick wall we left intact. DH wiped everything down with bleach, and then we painted it all with BIN sealer/primer. He insulated the exterior walls and hung sheetrock. When we ripped out the dry bar (when we took everything down to the studs), DH framed out the space so he could hang a door, and we had some one design/make pantry shelves and voila--we had a pantry closet.
Taping, spackling, and a few coats of white paint was pretty much all we did down there until this past fall (except for the guest bathroom which was done a few months after completing the kitchen). The guest bedroom was furnished with our old king sized mattress (took up 3/4 of the room), an old cast-off dresser from my sister's kids. As I mentioned above, we never used the FR as a FR (never used the wood burning fp)--it was pretty much used as a basement this whole time.
We painted as part of the renovation--did all the painting ourselves; FR/entryway is BM Mascarpone, Aura paint, matte finish, with the same color in the satin finish on the base molding, Guest Bedroom (No pics yet) is BM Muslin, Aura paint, matte and satin as in the FR. Fireplace wall is BM Black, Aura paint, matte finish. Baseboard heat covers along the brick are currently Krylon BBQ Grill (?) spray paint, but we plan to re-spray them using fp paint (the black might blend with the wall color better). We left the remaining baseboard heat covers alone (original white finish). Ceilings throughout are BM Super White, Aura paint, matte finish.
When we bought the house, we originally thought we'd just decorate "around" the red brick (pretend it wasn't there, treat it like a neutral), but when we finally got to the point of decorating and using the FR, we knew that wouldn't work for us. DH didn't want to go through the hassle/work of sheetrocking over the brick, and having it covered up (coated) cost more than we wanted to spend right now. I briefly considered painting the brick the same color as the walls, but wasn't really in love with that idea. Painting the bricks black came to me out of the blue (before I even saw threads here on home dec about doing so). As indecisive as I am, I just knew it was the right thing to do. It might not be everyone's cup-of-tea, but we are really happy with the way it turned out--better than we had ever envisioned!
We had a gas fp insert and Ocean Beige travertine floor tile (Artistic Tile) installed (we left the fp insert install and the tiling to the very talented pros!). The granite "inlay" in the fp hearth we had installed about 4 years ago, replacing the ugly mismatched slate pieces--it's the same granite that we have in the kitchen. Who knew back then how well it would match the crystals in the gas insert? :-) The mantel cover was fabricated in the fp installer's shop, and then sprayed by them to match the finish on the insert's frame.
We still have some odds and ends to get, things to hang some walls, have to install the new switches/outlets, but the bulk of the renovation/decorating is done. Yay! I still have to take more pics of the downstairs to share (opposite wall in the FR, guest bedroom....), but here are some I can share now.
Here are some befores. I have to see if DH can scan some pre-digital camera pics of the downstairs (showing the paneling and the dry bar) onto my laptop. These pics were taken just prior to painting (after all the boxes and crap that lived there for 13 years was carted out!). These are just pics of the fp wall--other room shot before pics are on the link to my pb acct below:
Here are some afters:
Here is a link that might be useful: cat_mom's family room pictures album
Comments (51)
yayagal
10 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Stone fireplace with window seat? pics? (x-posted)
Comments (27)thanks for all the comments. Babs - good idea about using the EC broken apart in other rooms. We had initially thought we would just use it in the basement when we finish that out. to those of you who would NOT match the mantle to the FP, would you match it to the wood trim? Floors (HW)? Something different? Also, the budget is an issue here as well. The built-in window seats are figured into our cost estimate, as is a generous (I think) FP allowance, so it may not be too much more to add the entertainment center built in. BUT - that being said, we are already holding our breath waiting for the bank appraisal to come back. We have awesome credit and a decent income, but the appraiser mentioned looking for comps that have sold recently (not new builds, though I would hope she'd compare to those too if there are any). But we've seen older, outdated 5beds selling for a fraction 1/3 to 1/4 less than our estimate. Wish one of them would work for us, but they are not all that inticing on paper. Being such a large family, we have pretty unique needs too. We'll see how it pans out I guess. ANSZ - the windows are NOT necessary. The larger bank on the back of the house faces south and into the woods. That is the view we really want. That side actually faces the neighbors house, though there is a decent band of evergreens and some large walnut trees there, and a good acre or more between the houses, so not really looking directly into them. Also, the house has a significant roof overhang, which is kind of a mixed blessing. We are worried about the house being "dark" and want the windows to provide as much natural light as possible, but that side won't be getting a lot of direct sun. But the downstairs is very open. I thin the dimension when you add in the walkway that runs from the front door to the back porch and the kitchen, it is about 34 x 19. Those windows end the long wall, so the architect recommended SOMETHING there to break up the wall. Also, given our large and growing family, we were planning on the window seats providing additional seating for family get-togethers without us needing to make the room larger. KSWL - I THINK they are the same size, or certainly could/should be. The drawing program is pretty simplified, and I don't like how it protrays the "snapshots" that I post. It looks better on the mock-up inside the program, but even that is simplistic. The initial plan has them drawn the same, but it is a bank of two together only on the right side of the entertainment center, with the fireplace in the corner on the left, not flanking the EC. in that drawing, each individual window (both in the bank of two and bank of 3) are the same....See MoreHelp! Need a kitchen/fr paint color and I can't decide
Comments (42)Wow- you really are the best. Thank you. You have helped me so much. I am going to the paint store to sample golden tan. And I took the bold step (for me) of asking the painter to take on other work for a week or so until I am certain. I think that alone will make it easier for me to make a choice without the stress of having to do it so quickly. I will let you know what we go with!...See MoreWant to paint ugly brick fireplace
Comments (69)mdln Your fireplace looks great. MagdalenaLee Great photoshop. Thanks so much. It is exactly what I want it to look like, except for the color. I am wanting a light gray. Hoping to put black marble on top of the hearth someday. Almost found what I needed at Habitat restore the other day, except it was 1 inch to short. Depth was perfect. I already have a black throw to put on the chair. Most the time it is off, because, the little ones love to sit in there, and it usually ends up on the floor. GreenHavenGarden Your fireplace looks really nice. Hope you enjoy it a lot. Annie, I have looked at the Dye brick site, and it is in consideration to find a stain rather than a paint. I didnt see any gray on the site, but, a friend told me that concrete stain would work the same way and it can be bought at Home Depot, so next time, I am in the city, will check that out too. nosoccermom, I did look over that link. Not seeing much with walnut stained trim. I do not want to paint this trim. I have painted every square inch of trim, in this house except the kitchen, and dining room, since they were the only ones that were still original. When we bought the house the rest of the trim was all painted white. I dislike white trim a lot, so it had to go almost immediately. I find it all a bit sad, that when we moved here, there was a 24 inch doorway to the 12x20 ft living room (small compared to all other rooms in this house), off the kitchen, but, the original owners had the stone mason put in a 7 ft long stone FAKE fireplace in the living room that matched the stone on the house. It had a very pretty well done mantle too. Attached to it, was an 8 ft long cabinet, that was also well done. There is another door on the opposite side of the living room to the back hallway, and double doors for a closet, and the front door, plus a large picture window with side windows, so there was absolutely no place for furniture, so for almost 5 yrs, all my living room furniture was just piled in there gathering dust, and the door was shut, and no way to use it. Last year, grandson in law, tore out both the fake fireplace and the cabinet, and closed up the 24 inch doorway, and put a new doorway on the dining room side that is 4 ft wide. I now have room for my couch and chairs, and my big oriental cabinets, and tv. The sad part is that they put so much thought into the fake stone fireplace, and no thought at all to the ugly brick one in the dining room. Oh and for those of you still reading this, I did spend most of the morning today out in the shop (nice cool morning) and I have the new top for the built in on the left all cut, except for 2 notches, and I do have a new mantle top all cut, and ready for sanding. I havent decided yet, just how much I want to add to the mantle, and of course, cant put it on until I decide what to do with the fireplace. Thanks all for your time, and your ideas. :-))...See Moreshould I paint this brick/paneled fireplace????
Comments (47)purrus - very very very nice! I also like all the neutral tones in the room. well done. scoutfinch - I first primed with BM All Purpose Fresh Start primer and then 2 coats of BM Aura 'Black' in eggshell finish. I don't use my F/P so heat-resistant issues didn't cross my mind, but something for you to check on if you do. Black heat-resistant paint should be easy to get, because it is available for gas grills. Personally, I don't think it would be necessary, but who knows. jamies - it is not hard at all to add a little faux texture to your bricks yourself. I think you would get a big improvement. you can go lighter or darker or even stay close to the existing color. You can just do a touch or go heavy. Its so flexible and so easy. Just be very random (in a controlled sort of way). Maintain the grout lines. I think in my link above, I described how I did mine....See Moremom2sethc
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