Please post photos of the room and decor so you can get help.

It does have a nice texture. I would consider painting it! Can we see photos, please? Someone here will probably suggest a color for you.

I posted a photo. There is no decor. We just moved in. We'll be painting the walls Mountain Peak White with Chantilly Lace trim. The floors are White Oak, Quarter Sawn & Rift, with a Natural Stain, and 3 coats of Satin Poly on top.

Is it two sided?

And the more info you provide, including the photos of the room, the better advice you’ll get. Lighting and natural light, ceiling height, etc, will have an effect on the solution.

Now that I see the photo, I would paint the brick the same color as your walls. The screen is nice so I would keep that!

Hard to say what to do. Once you move in, you may want to redo the brick area in a way that is more appealing to you. Just painting it now will “clean it up”, for sure. I don’t think the scored brick makes a big difference if you are painting it and put on enough to cover the color.

I assume you have had the chimney inspected. Soot on the face means there is or was a problem. That needs to be cleaned first. I would paint it the same color as the mantle.

Good luck with your new house!

Thank you everyone. It is not two sided. It sits across the room from a bay window. I am somewhat hesitant to paint it, because I can't go back once I apply whatever color paint. I was wondering if anyone has seen THIS TYPE of brick with any sort of whitewash or paint on it before. Maybe I should try to locate some new brick with that groove in it and paint/whitewash it. .

First, clean the soot-covered area thoroughly and let it dry thoroughly. Then reassess painting the brick. You need to check the chimney and vent area for any blockage to avoid more soot in the future. The amount of soot you have is beyond normal if the chimney is working well. Scored brick paints just as well as regular brick.

I agree you must have the chimney and flue checked. But I can also tell you that dark soot in that spot often means someone started a fire without opening the flue. I know from experience…..

There is nothing wrong with the chimney and/or flue. The house was thoroughly inspected, with the chimney being a major point in that inspection., Thank you though. And thank you for all the useful comments. I am going to paint decorate etc.. and then make my decision. I'm sure this brick will take paint, that was never the question. I was just looking for an example of THIS TYPE of brick painted, or if anyone had ever seen THIS TYPE of brick painted.

Googling didn't bring up any pix of similar brick painted. I should think it would absorb a lot more paint than a traditionally flat surfaced brick. I saw one pic on reddit.com that said it was painted, but it must have soaked up all the paint because it just looked pink to me. Consider black or charcoal gray if you move ahead.

IMO that much soot says issues with venting no matter what some home inspector said or as mentioned a big fire with no flue open. I would get a FP inspection for sure.. As for painting it it paints exactly like any other brick but will require a really good roller and lots of elbow grease to get all those grooves.

Why not tile over the brick? Especially since I think the brick competes with the brick colored tile on the hearth.

has anyone seen a brick fireplacepainted with a faux finish to have the illusion of a more elongated thinner brick? Like a mid-century-modern style brick.

Backwards. 1st pic is painted 2nd pic is before

That grooved brick was a popular earlier 20th century brick, often used in the Craftsman style.

I m not a decorator; however, there is a white wash product for brick - Romabio (brand). I have no experiece with it.