Simple, modern, easy.

Fireplace Facelift

Upgrade your fireplace with a simple wood mantle!

I was really into my brick fireplace when I first bought this house. I swore I would never change it, scoffed at people that ruined perfectly good brick with paint, and insisted that the 3 random bricks added "character." Eventually, I decided to paint it white on a whim. WOW. Why did I not do that sooner??

I used regular matte paint for the brick and sprayed the interior with a heat resistant black spray paint (can also be used to paint grills or anything else that needs to withstand heat on a frequent basis). I took the brass insert out and happily put it by the curb (someone snatched it up in less than an hour). The results were great, but you know when you started painting, you want to update everything else too? Yeah, that happened. After staring at the gross orange hearth and the 3 protruding bricks for several months, I decided I needed to finish the facelift.

  • Empty fireplace with black interior, construction debris in front, and a box of blue painter’s tape on the right edge.

    First things first, that hearth tile had to go. The hardest part of this project wasn't laying the tile, it was ripping up the old tile. That stuff was twice as thick as regular tile and HEAVY.

  • Interior view of a fireplace with black tiles and white brick surround, with tool and measuring tape on the wooden floor, and tools and material nearby indicating ongoing renovation.

    Once I had that done, the rest was a breeze. I went back and forth on what to replace it with - I needed it to work with the marble herringbone tile in the kitchen and black accents throughout the house.

  • A room with a white brick fireplace with stacked wood inside, a white cowhide rug on a dark hardwood floor, and a roll of toilet paper on the floor to the right.

    I ultimately landed on a matte black hexagon tile from Wayfair as a tribute to the white hexagon tile I had to rip up in the bathroom. I got lucky and was able to do the whole hearth with just one box of tile.

Once the hearth was done, I had one final project to complete - the mantle. This was another difficult decision - live edge slab or modern, sleek floating mantle? I went back and forth, researched my options and polled my favorite audience - my Insta-friends.

I landed on a modern mantle to match the cased opening between the living room and dining room. I picked this option because it was more accessible (one trip to Lowe's and I was ready), cheaper and seemingly easier.

A black and white dog lying on a patterned rug in front of a white brick fireplace with a stack of wood inside. A blue front door with small windows and a brass doorknob is visible to the left.
Living room with a white brick fireplace, a cowhide rug on dark hardwood floors, a basket with colorful pillows and blankets on the left, and a large green plant in a red pot on the right.
A fireplace with stacked firewood inside, a light-colored brick surround, a wooden mantel, and an orange level resting on the mantel.
Living room with white brick fireplace, dark wooden mantel, and a dog with a green toy on a beige and brown cowhide rug in front of the fireplace.

Once the mantle was constructed, I stained it using Duraseal's Coffee Brown Quick Coat. This is the same stain that Carolina Floor Crafters used on my floors so I just went with that since I wanted all of the wood accents in the house to match. I styled it briefly for Christmas then hung a new TV over it just in time for the Clemson - Ohio State game. Score!