Paint for Brick Fireplace

Brick fireplaces are a fixture of many homes, but depending on your interior color choices, the brick can rapidly become outdated. By painting your brick fireplace, you can create a more modern exterior without the expense of tearing out and refacing the space

Painting brick requires choosing the right paint – one that will cover and be absorbed by the porous surface while looking beautiful once it dries. Luckily, Vista Paints has several options for you.

Why paint a brick fireplace?

The most obvious appeal is visual. Painting your brick helps it match your interior design choices, modernizes it and can either make it the highlight of the room or help the brick blend into the background.This is also an extremely cost-effective way to update your home’s visual appeal. Fresh paint, when applied correctly, looks clean and professional and can be applied quickly, making this a fun weekend project.

Additionally, maintaining a painted surface is so much easier than an unpainted one. Painted brick can be wiped clean with a damp cloth, making it ideal for homes with pets and children.

Choosing your brick primer and paint

Picking the right paint makes painting your brick fireplace easy and efficient. First, while most interior paints look great on walls, they don’t hold up well to brick. Since brick is porous, it absorbs larger amounts of paint, and a paint that is too thin will look streaky and uneven on application.

First, you should choose a primer or a block filler. This is the necessary first step and creates an even surface for the colored paint to adhere to.

Vista’s Block Kote is ideal for preparing masonry and brick because it is thick enough to fully cover brick while bringing shine to the finished surface. It resists cracking and shrinking as it dries, so the finished product is perfect.

Vista also recommends its 100% Acrylic Block Filler. This brick paint comes in white and is the necessary base coat to any brick painting. This product is fully acrylic, meaning that it provides higher efflorescence.

Remember, picking the right filler is essential to a good final outcome. A regular primer not intended for brick can result in mold growth thanks to the exposure to moisture from the wood and natural humidity in the house.

After you have primed, you can select any interior paint, though Vista recommends paints with a slight sheen like their Carefree Eggshell, an interior paint with a beautiful light gloss, which makes it easier to clean. It also inhibits microbial growth and bonds beautifully with primers and base coats.

If you prefer more of a high gloss finish, Vista recommends Carefree Semi-Gloss. This also inhibits microbial growth and has a higher sheen. Like Vista’s line of interior paints, it can be customized to any color your imagination can hold. A higher gloss will look brighter, so test accordingly on a spare brick to see which you like better.

Special considerations for painting brick fireplaces

Painting a brick fireplace will only turn out as good as your preparation and paint quality allow. Since you’ve already picked the right paint, it all comes down to preparation. First, a clean surface is required.

Paint can only adhere evenly to a clean surface, so pick up a wire brush and some dish soap and water and scrub any areas that are looking particularly dingy. Vacuuming first can remove surface dust, but if you’re wanting a nice shine, scrub the brick evenly to remove any built-up soot, oils, grease or other contaminants.

The brick will need to be sponged to remove any soap and left to dry for two days. Painting too soon after cleaning can seal water into the brick, leading to mold and potentially rot.

Use painters tape to protect any surface like wood or flooring that you don’t want to paint.

Next, use your primer or filler and with a roller, apply it. Don’t be afraid to really press it into the brick. The more paint that the brick absorbs, the more even your final coat will look. It can be helpful to use a thick-bristled brush to paint the mortar first before using the roller to ensure even coverage

Check the directions on your filler to see how long it needs to dry. Once it’s ready, you can apply your interior paint of choice. Use a brush for fine detail work and apply several coats if needed.

Paint on your brick shouldn’t require a sealer unless any part of the brick will be exposed to the outdoors.

If you decide to change up the color of your paint, it’s important to remember that while you can repaint brick, removing the paint to restore the brick is nearly impossible thanks to brick’s natural porosity. These fine gaps in a brick absorb paint, making it difficult to remove.

That said, it’s easy enough to repaint. Since your surface is already primed and painted, you simply need a new topcoat of paint. If the previous paint was oil-based, your new paint will need to be oil as well to adhere properly. If the base was acrylic, you can use either acrylic or oil paint.

You can even experiment with sponging the brick paint to make it look more weathered or applying only a base filler for a whitewashed look. Remember to use brick filler and not wall primer since the brick needs special paint to look its best.

Maintaining brick fireplace paint

One of the virtues of brick paint is how easy it is to clean. Simply vacuum as needed and wipe off any stains with a wet rag. If you give the paint enough time to dry between coats, there shouldn’t be any chipping or peeling.

Choosing to paint your brick fireplace can be a big step with amazing final results. With Vista Paint, you’ll get a final product you love that will stand the test of time. Turn that old-fashioned brick fireplace into the centerpiece of your home.