Corner Painted Hearth Update

12 years ago

Oopsie, it took TWO YEARS, but I've taken your advice. LOL As my DH's grandmother used to say, Rome wasn't built in a day. I finally tackled this project yesterday. I painted Valspar/Eddie Bauer's "Pecan" over the stark white, then sponged Eddie Bauer's "Corkboard", "Gourd" and "Calico". I think it looks just like real brick and warms up the corner. I love it! I will finish up tomorrow. I'm exhausted.

I have another post somewhere from 2011 asking for advice, too. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to do something with this space! We are going to eventually put a gas stove in this area. Maybe a cream-colored one...

The prep work took so long. First I vacuumed, then washed it down with TSP, applied frog tape and painted one coat of the pecan over all of the white.

It's so ridiculously realistic I giggle every time I walk by the room. I can't wait to finish it.

Before:

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Comments (31)

User
12 years ago
Wowza! That looks absolutely awesome! You did a great job sameboat. I'd be giggling too!
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yayagal
12 years ago
I feel your joy!!!! Great job.
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Doubt that having the hearth wrap around the corner and continue under the windows is to code. You could leave the hearth actually in front of the fireplace and pillars and the 6" or so beyond the pillars on each side but remove the rest. Alternately, you could use the hearth beneath the window to place a row of potted plants. Like your fireplace, including the tile and paneling above it. Not a fan of that shelving to the right of your fireplace. Adding a decorative and/or colorful screen that compliments your arch window piece on the mantel might be worth considering -- it could help offset the visual of two protruding pillars. You could paint something like this any color you wanted. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/750834569095203740/ You could create a hidden closet on the right side of the fireplace -- make the outside wall /door to that closet flush/even with the front of the pillars and have the door be a bookcase facing the living area and opening into it. Really strong hinges would be needed. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/109704940904412030/ The bi-fold bookcase door uses hidden hinges. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/558939003739855630/ This one is called a Murphy Door. http://bukit.co/p/11275/good-hidden-closet-doors-on-hidden-door-in-closet-af154134ca9af492a638ad9189f-hidden-closet-doors/
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Yes, there doesn't appear to be room for the window trim. I'm looking at the floorboards--where the fireplace framing ends and extending the floorboard line up the wall. When you add backerboard and thin bricks, looks like the trim is going to get buried behind. Photos can be deceiving and it may 'just fit'. But I am afraid that end wall is going to look over-stuffed. Nice view outside; I can understand wanting to hang onto the windows but the problem is having three focal points on that wall and the space issue of too big fireplace or too big windows.
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I really love the look of wood and I would keep as much of the wood as possible. Your house has lots of wood, and as best I can tell from the pictures, the woods mostly agree with each other. Your fireplace wall is mostly overall a light warm pink. Your other woods look like they have a warm tone as well. Even your dark doors have a warm brown with orange highlights. Have you thought about going warmer with the color for your walls? The wall and ceiling colors need to accent the wood beams, wood flooring, wood railings as well as the wood doors. As much as I like the modern gray/white look, I don't think grays do as much for wood as other colors. Why be tied to white trim? If you find a warm color you like, there are other colors that the paint company suggests for trim and ceiling that accent the wall color, which in turn would accent your wood. In one of our homes we did the unthinkable by experts. We stained our poplar wood trim and wood doors with a dark antique stain. It turned out very well. The wood looked antique and we received lots of compliments. Disclaimer: I'm not expert, I just know what I like.
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How about hanging a nice drapery over both windows? Hang from the top of the wall on the window beside the door. Hang from the same height over the window to the right of the fireplace as well. Either move the media center to the right of the window, or ditch the media center to a wall mounted tv with a smaller piece of furniture beneath the tv. It’s easy to route the wires through the wall, it’s an entry level DIY project that doesn’t require a lot of skill. Rearrange the furniture in a manner that allows the change in the television location. I like the idea of getting rid of the media center best, but the scale of it may work better when it’s pulled away from the fireplace and isn’t covering a window.
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les917
12 years ago
Great job! Time well spent - congratulations!
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Tmnca
12 years ago
Wow, excellent job!
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cindyloo123
12 years ago
It is perfect! I once saw a very high priced faux finisher transforming white bricks to a natural color but it took her several days and she had been doing that kind of work for years.

You have done an outstanding job!
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ttodd
12 years ago
That looks really, really good!
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ayerg73
12 years ago
Wow! That's amazing!
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Happyladi
12 years ago
Please tell us how you are doing it. It looks great!
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sameboat
Original Author
12 years ago
Just a sponge. Seriously. I painted the entire hearth with "pecan" so the stark white doesn't show, then I got an ordinary household sponge and cut it so it doesn't overlap the lines between the brick. Then I dip dip dip into three different colors (a reddish brick color, a mustard and a cocoa brown)and have at it. I sponge sponge sponge more than once per brick until I like the look, making sure they all look different than the one next to it. Then step back, see where you need a shot of darker red and dip, dip, dip, sponge, sponge, sponge. I am surprised how simple it is and you really can't go wrong. If I don't like a brick I just go over it. Sometimes it only takes one dab!

I sent a pic to my brother and he said it looks great, what are you using (he thought I was stripping the bricks) and my sister said wow I guess you are working hard if you got that much done (she also thought I was stripping it).

Thank you all! I am encouraged now and will finish up today. You know, my feet even hurt from all the work I did yesterday.
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bellajourney
12 years ago
Holy ****!!!! You PAINTED that?!?!? It looks Amazing!! You did an incredible job!!!
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User
12 years ago
I guess we're both kind of in the same boat
because that's just how I plan on doing our poured concrete basement "bricks". I'm super happy to see the idea will really work. I've been putting it off since I've so much to do inside, but thinking this might be a great fall project for me. Too much going on to do it now or I would.
Thanks for the pictures and details sameboat.
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Bethpen
12 years ago
Amazing job!

Beth P.
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pricklypearcactus
12 years ago
Wow. When I first looked at the pictures I absolutely thought you had somehow stripped the paint. You're doing a marvelous job. A friend of mine had a white painted brick wall re-painted to look like brick. It looks great and she's so happy she had it done.
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sameboat
Original Author
12 years ago
All finished! What a difference not to have that stark chalky white in there. Now I can't wait to decorate around it! DH is going to come up with a way to frame the edges so you can't see where the wall meets the brick.

Thank you! :) I can't even believe I did it.
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Happyladi
12 years ago
Great job! Did you use three sponges, one for each color?
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suero
12 years ago
Amazing slate, too!
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PRO
acdesignsky
12 years ago
This is the first time I've seen white painted brick "returned" to the original red. Usually it is the other way around! It looks so nice and warm. Perfect compliment to your wall color.
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ghostlyvision
12 years ago
Waaay cool, just love it!!
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cindyloo123
12 years ago
Wow, the slate looks wonderful too. WHAT a difference.

You've got to share this with some of the blogs, pinterest, etc.

So many people paint over their brick. They need to know that if they don't like the current color of the original brick, they don't have to cover it with a single color, they can create any brick color that would work for them!
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sameboat
Original Author
12 years ago
I planned on using a few sponges but ended up just using ONE. It was about 2"x 5". I cut it down from a giant car wash sponge. I never cleaned off the sponge either. I just kept going, adding color here and there when I wanted to change the brick color I was working on.

I don't know how to post to pinterest but if anyone wants to you certainly can. Here is a link to my inspiration. It's the only site I could find that they faux painted brick over a white painted fireplace.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inspiration Web Site Page
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Sugar Plum
12 years ago
That is a wonderful transformation! It makes such a huge difference in your room.
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enailes
12 years ago
Excellent job, that is amazing!
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rafor
12 years ago
Very nicely done!!!! And you're right, it really warms up that corner.
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arlosmom
12 years ago
Wow, that looks fabulous!
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SharonaZamboni
12 years ago
Wow. Just...WOW!
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sameboat
Original Author
12 years ago
I didn't paint the slate, though. The slate was left alone when they painted the rest white. You can't see in the "before" pic, but I had the slate covered with paper and taped off.
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rosesstink
12 years ago
Come on now. Don't you know you are supposed to hate brick and want paint it white? ;-)

Looks great! Well done.
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mitchdesj
12 years ago
How cool, you did great !!
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motherof3sons
12 years ago
What a transformation! Gorgeous. You are certainly creative!
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sameboat
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you all so much! Geesh - I can't wait to take on another project to share!
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anele_gw
12 years ago
You are so talented!!!!
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Corner Painted Hearth Update

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