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loranium

Stone Fireplace Upgrade Ideas

Loranium
11 years ago

Ok, so here is my fireplace - I hate it! I need suggestions b/c my husband (who will be doing the work) wants to keep the old stone but give it a fresh look. We both do not like the color of the stone (it has a pink tone to it), but we are unsure what painting it will look like. I am not a huge fan of the painted fireplace look, but the color is just not our taste. The room will be a nice cheery yellow (soft and bright).

Our original idea was to tile over the stone, but that idea may not work since the stone is quite dimensional. We are going to beef up the mantel and paint it white. We would like to put white beams going down the mantel but are unsure how to bolt them in securely (we don't want to extend them to the wall b/c the fireplace is quite large as is, and it would be a bonus to cover some of the unloved stone). We are also ordering a piece of granite for the hearth, and thinking something dark would look good, but again - suggestions on this color would help. We are putting in new black doors as well.

What should we do? Is there a way to make this fireplace a show stopper while keeping the originality of the stone work? Or should we tear the whole thing out and build a basic new one w/ tile, mantel, etc.? Help!

Comments (3)

  • carpecattus
    11 years ago

    Something you might try rather than painting is to stain the stone. I did this with some garden pots that were sand color and I wanted grey, so I diluted some black india ink and brushed it on the pots. I started off light and did a couple of coats to build up to the grey color I wanted, since I didn't want to risk starting off too dark. The india ink is permanent so the pots have remained grey through several seasons of rainy northwest weather with no fading. Perhaps there might be a product out there that is made specifically for staining stone. I would experiment on the bottom corner side of fireplace, so if it didn't look so great at least it's not visible. I think your idea for a beefed up white mantle would be nice, and perhaps adding some picture molding/trimwork from the mantle to the ceiling could dress it up, depending on the look you are hoping for. Changing the firebox trim/screen would help update the look as well.

    I just noticed Houzz.com has a new ideabook regarding painting fireplaces - perhaps that might give you some ideas which direction to go. Plus Houzz is such a great resource for ideas in general - you might find the perfect inspiration to help you decide which direction to go with your fireplace.

    Good luck with your project! :-)

  • nhyankee
    11 years ago

    I would suggest looking mineral paint, KEIM is one brand but there are others. It's very expensive but you don't need much.

    These are mineral paints which actually bond to the stone rather than being a layer of chemicals on the outside. As such they are very long lasting and also fireproof.

    For a stain to work I think you would need the rock to be porous. If it's something like sandstone then you might look at a product called Dyebrick but otherwise you would need to clad over it with something else or paint

  • sweetntwisted
    11 years ago

    Here is one I have found. Been searching how to refinish a cast stone (concrete) fireplace.

    Here is a link that might be useful: BrickAnew

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