The only regret I have when it comes to painting our fireplace white is not doing it sooner!
Below are the steps for transforming raw brick and mortar to painted bright white.
Items you’ll need:
- Vacuum
- Wire brush
- Sherwin Williams Loxon primer
- Benjamin Moore “Simply White” paint in satin finish
- 4-5 paint brushes
- Paint roller
- Painter’s tape
- Rags
1st Step: I thoroughly cleaned the brick by vacuuming. Then used a wire brush to remove loose mortar and dust, then vacuumed again.
2nd Step: I taped off the edges of the wall, mantle and floor surrounding the fireplace.
3rd Step: Apply the first coat of Sherwin Williams Loxon primer. This primer is thick! And it took 2-3 coats to fully seal the brick and mortar. Applying the primer to the surface of the brick was easy. Getting in between the bricks to prime the mortar was tedious.
Tip! Make sure you have a few paint brushes for this project. I used one brush per coat of primer and one brush per coat of paint. By the end of each coat the bristles were pretty beat up from trying to paint in between bricks. Remove the painter’s tape after your last coat of primer.
4th Step: Once the 3 coats of primer is fully dry (I waited at least 24 hours) re-tape around the fireplace and start on your first coat of paint. I used Benjamin Moore “Simply White” in a satin finish. I did 2 coats of the paint.
5th Step: Once your last coat of paint is complete, immediately remove the painter’s tape.
Let the paint fully dry then the best part…decorate!
These photos are taken 6 months after painting. We haven’t noticed any chipping or wear on the paint. The paint still looks fresh and bright white.