Brick Fireplace Update!

My husband is also a bricklayer if you would like a quote.. he does side jobs but also works on custom homes. If you are worried about cost, I would find out who can help you on the side with out hiring a company. Email me if you would like his number - Have fun decorating!!

MLH,

I saw this exact problem on House Crashers on the DIY Network. The design guy framed a wall directly in front of the brick/stone and created at blank pallet with drywall. Decorate to your style... I'd look online for that episode - an amazing and fast/inexpensive option.
Best of Luck!

First HGTV is the website to look at as they have amazing ideas........but my thoughts are if you dont want the brick on the entire wall then you can drywall it and leave the brick on the fireplace or also drywall the brick over the fireplace then have it tiled & a mantle put up.......there are a lot of contractors looking for work right now so maybe you can have a few come over to get their ideas.......as for painting over the brass doors go to home depot for the right kind of spray paint.......happy remodeling

go to a fireplace store and they can sell you paint specifically for fireplaces (heat temp). It's the only type of paint you can use. It comes in spray paint. We painted ours black and it looks great.

Hi MLH:

I have actaully thought of this exact situation because my husband and I are looking at houses and many have the brick fireplace...UGH. I am so excited to see your responses.

So, here are my thoughts: I once saw a Divine Design on HGTV where Candice Olson put tile over the brick and it was amazing. I would start by taking a look at the HGTV website. They have many ideas. Just search fireplace. Secondly, I would try contacting the merchandise mart to see if there is anyone in there that could point you in the right direction. (I wish that I could be more specific as who to contact but I can't maybe another poster could.)

I hope this helps...a little. :-)

A.

We covered ours with a porcelin tile that looks like slate. It looked awesome. It isn't hard to do but you should get a tile book and I agree watch DIY. We rented a tile cutter from home depot and overall didn't spend much for what ended up being a big impact. Even tiled the hearth. I would recommend you used a concrete board backer though so it's all even.

Hello,

I watch DIY a lot and they sometime have segments on how to update your fireplace without breaking the bank.I LOVE their website. They tell you approximately how much $ a project would cost if you do it yourself. There are videos to watch. You could watch them to get an idea if you'd like to try the project out on your own or decide if it's a job you'd rather hire out. Here's the link- it's on updating a fireplace.

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/reface-a-fireplace-with-...

I've seen some great stuff done with a white "wash" over brick that keeps the textures, but whitens it. Google it, you'll probably find a tutorial somewhere. Also, heat resistant paint on the brass should also be fine.

Good Luck!

I think the cost depends on what you want to do and exactly how big it is. Maybe you could cover it with cultured stone?
My husband is a bricklayer and I am sure he could take a look and give you some ideas and cost if you are interested.

His name is Mike, ###-###-####.

Good luck!

have you tried looking at HGTV i don't know the web site but there are spray paints you can ust to change the color and if you can get the web page i think you can asked questiong about how to update the brick.

good luck

My husband is a carpentry contractor and would never paint bricks around your fireplace. If you do not like the bricks take them out and with put new bricks or tile around the fireplace.
You can paint the brass door but the big question is how much are you going to use your fireplace?? I ask this because the kind of fireplace you have is really not the kind to have if you want to use your fireplace to heat your house. What you have is just a basic (tin can) style fireplace and is really just for show.
If you want your fireplace to give your house some warmth you need to put an air tight fireplace insert in where the present fireplace is.
When we built our house 7 years ago we decided we wanted a fireplace that we could use for heat. We went with an air tight fireplace and we just love it. Think about it.

One last thing, as a reminder. You said that you bought your house about a year ago, correct? Have you had your chimney cleaned?? this is very important to prevent a chimney fire. It is also important with the kind of fireplace you have because the fire never gets to a good temperature and build up happen in the chimney which can ignite. You can do this your self by just renting the brushes and going up on the roof and brushing the inside of the stack. Be prepared for the soot build up to fall back into your fireplace. Keep the door closed while you do this and open the door only after the soot has settled or you will have mess.

God bless,
S.

My mom had this same problem in her house. She painted the brick white and removed the brass doors, and just put up a screen. It looks awesome and really updated. The man at Home Depot told her what type of paint to use. Good luck!