Our friends did not like the brick fireplace when they moved in but they weren't in a position to redo it then. He is a designer and he painted it the same color as the walls so it blended in but it still added texture to the room. If I recall, he painted the mantle the same color...then the items ON the mantle stood out instead of a horizontal piece of wood. They eventually used large rectangular tiles over the brick and got a limestone hearth. In your case, I would paint your hearth....bricks on the floor....a charcoal color for a softer look...black may be too jarring a contrast.

If you are going to cover it then no I would not paint it. It would be an added expense and labor that will be for nothing since it will be covered. Save the money for those tiles and the perfect surround. I don't see anything that terrible about the brick. I have seen much worse for sure.
Spend the money for your mantle!

By the way incredible beautiful vintage mantle surrounds at Black dawg salvage they show them on the TV show.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black dawg salvage

If you think it might be a few months before you find the right mantle, yes paint the brick. In one day you will have something different, hopefully something you won't hate. Nothing wrong with painted brick.

That painted brick = no drywall doesn't make sense. Drywall would be fastened to studs or lathes not directly to brick, wouldn't it?

ML

Paint it! I have an ugly fake rock fireplace in my bedroom that I was trying to ignore because it WILL be replaced. It's been three years, and I've still not replaced it (more visible rooms have been getting all the love). I went ahead and sprayed it the same antique white of the walls a couple of weekends ago and could kick myself for not doing it sooner.

I drywalled over my brick fireplace wall. The drywall is attached to studs, not the brick, so some future homeowner can, if they so desire, remove the drywall to find the brick underneath.

RE: attaching drywall to brick-- general question-- one person (a painter, so he does drywall but more limited)-- said the drywall would likely be GLUED onto the brick vs. any kinds of studs, just for safety reasons (not putting holes b/c of fire safety). True? False? I have been trying to figure out a pro to ask but no luck.

Joanie, thanks for the tips! I probably wouldn't go with anything dark because I am so tired of my dark FP as it is . . .interesting idea about painting the mantel, too! I bet your friends' FP is lovely!

Raven, yes, it would be time-consuming! Thanks for the link!

Maddie, it probably will be awhile. If I wanted an med. oak one with ornamentation, I could get one today (seem to be the most common) . .but alas, would not go with my trim or style of house at all. I found the perfect one but it was just too damaged.

Errant, I'd love to see a pic! Glad you did it!

Suero, were there any issues with the holes created by attaching to studs? I have a woodburning fireplace, if that makes a difference.

I'm going to try putting a mantel on it this weekend, then I will take a picture for you!

I actually like the brick, I think you just need a more substantial mantle, in a different color. If you hate the color of the brick, I would paint it. I love the texture brick brings to a room. It's so quaint. I would not cover it with drywall, that just seems wrong, and would be so ordinary.

That brick isn't bad; there's just an huge amount of it. Sweet-Tea: +1

If you paint it than it should be towards minimizing the effect, not towards just hiding the brick. You may like the new look enough to not obliterate the brick texture. From that pic I can see wanting to cover it up, but maybe "covering it up" and "reducing the visual impact" are two separate things. In other words, painting now and living with it for a short while may be cheaper, simpler, less disruptive, and enough.

There are a gazillion ways to cover brick, but every single one of them is just-about-permanent because it's hard to undo such work.

Drywall mud skim coating will be permanent and reliable if you have uncracked brick and mortar. Gluing on Sheetrock works, and, in fact, you can use drywall mud as an adhesive as it can be removed (messy!) with a pressure washer in the future. Using furring strips will do probably the least amount of damage to the original work. I don't mean to harp on "undoing", but such possibilities can pay off in the future as a possible new owner option if you ever want to sell. Even paint can be undone, but it's a bear...

I had a red brick fireplace. I did not care for the color of the brick. I painted it but upon starting realized any white looked horrible. I wound up watering down a tan. It was odd but it made the brick look like a nice creamy white. I did not put a coat of paint on to hide the brick, I just sort of stippled it with the paint and equal part water. In the end it still looked like brick, but a lovely creamy brick color.

If you hate it and have some time (doesn't take that long) then go for it! I would.