Our Major yet super simple and Affordable Fireplace update!
Our den is the main room we spend most of our time in as a family. We’ve done some other updates to this room which I will post about later in this post. One thing I’ve always disliked more than anything is the brass fireplace. Here’s a photo of the room when we purchased the home with the previous owners stuff.
I was searching for ideas on how to update it without having to buy a whole new one, but I wanted to keep it safe and functional too. After reading lots of reviews, I went ahead and ordered this high heat spray product usually used for BBQ’s Here
The next step was to prepare the surface. I used blue dawn to wipe it down and take off any dust, grease or soot that may have been on there. After that I took paper bags and painters tape and covered the entire area. I also opened every window, door and the skylights. I didn’t want to pass out from the fumes! Preparing the area with tape and bags took 3 times the amount of time then actually painting it.
Once it was ready, I lightly sprayed from one direction to the other about 8 to10 inches from the brass. You can always go over it when it’s dry, but if you spray too much liquid it will drip. Wear rubber gloves! (notice how black mine are in this pic)
I put the ceiling fan on, opened the door and hightailed it out of there for about an hour. When I came back in it was perfectly dry. I touched up a few spots that still showed a bit of gold and let it dry again. Once it was all set, clean up was super easy!
I’m so happy with the results and this cost me less then $10 and just about an hour and a half in time! What a difference!
Walls and Fireplace decor
We did have to re-sheetrock the entire space. The wood paneling only lasted a short time and we took it all down. We went with Benjamin Moore Revere Peweter for the walls. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a good balance of grey and beige. I think the formal term is greige. As for the fireplace bricks, I took 1 cup of white paint I had laying around and mixed it with 1 cup water. I took a paint brush and painted 1 brick, let it sit for a few seconds and used an old rag to wipe off. I loved the color so I continued on. It is VERY drippy so be sure to cover any surface and flooring around it if you do this. I do recommend trying out a mix of haf paint, half water first and see if you like that shade. You can always add more white but you can’t undo it if it’s too much white. If you paint an area and think you want it whiter, don’t go over the area you just tested with the new mix with more white. It will make that test spot super white since you’re adding paint over white. For just that one test spot make it mostly water and a little paint. I use solo cups to try out what I liked and did a spot in the corner that isn’t really seen. Since some bricks are darker/lighter it really did blend in after I found the one I liked the best. Use a sharpie and label the cups so you know which mixture you eventually land on using. You can do a quarter cup water and 3 quarters cup white paint, half and half paint/water, or a quarter a pint and 3 quarters water.
Updating the decor
I grabbed a very similar mirror to this one here. I found it in a local store but this one is almost exact. The vases were a home goods find so check your local store but I did find these that are similar Here. Find the boxwood wreath Here and the Eucalyptus stems are Here. I used these Command hooks to hang the wreath on the mirror. I love these photo Frames, Amazing quality and just $20! Here. I hope you find this post helpful, let me know in the comments below what you think and be sure to follow me on all social media platforms linked below!
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