Despite proper maintenance of brick Masonry fireplaces, a fair amount of soot, mildew, and efflorescence get accumulated on the furnaces and damages the paint on the blocks in the place. Brick has a unique texture, that is to be taken into consideration while painting the surfaces of the fireplaces. Follow these simple steps to paint up your fireplace bricks.
The bricks in the fireplace tend to accumulate dirt and grit. So to remove them clean the brick with soapy water using a stiff bristle brush. Use the scrub brush to remove white powdery mineral deposits on the surfaces. If the fireplace also has soot, wash the brick with bleach and water. After cleaning allow it to dry down for 24 hours before painting.
Before painting check for any cracks present on the surface of the bricks. If any breaks are there, fill them with some acrylic caulk. Read on the instructions given on the caulk bottle and provide the required time for the caulk to dry.
Before going to paint, you have to apply the primer on to the surface of the bricks. Cover the areas that you wish not to paint with cloth and also protect the flooring from the paint splatter by covering with a cloth. Pour the primer into a bucket and by using a roller apply the primer on the surface of the brick. Make sure that you apply primer to all the bricks evenly. For joints and edges, use a brush to apply the primer. Where ever you have cleaned the efflorescence, apply two coats of primer for extra protection. If necessary apply two coats of primer. Allow the primer to dry completely overnight.
After the primer is dried for overnight, it’s time to paint the fireplace. The fireplace paint should be heat resistant. Use the Stiff bristle brush to paint between the crevices of the mortar and brick. After that dip the roller into the bucket and apply paint to the remaining areas evenly. Gently apply a top coat of the paint to the brick block using overlaying strokes to cover all the bricks as best as possible, and leave it all to dry.
After the paint has dried up, look if there are any patches present. Fill up the spots with paint and allow it to dry. Take off the protection cloth on the floor and clean up any paint splatters with warm water. Clean the paint splatters as soon as possible. Clean the brushes for future use.
If you wish to add more decoration to the fireplace, then you can use Mantel for decorating around the painted brick fireplace. Use the mantel to give details and add molding to the mantel with wooden screws. Sand the mantel and paint it. Find the studs in the wall and nail the screws into the mantel through the wall.
Painted brick fireplace looks very neat and attractive and will also add potential to your home. So Bricks in the fireplace should be cleaned and painted from time to time. If you need a professional for painting your fireplace other than DIY, contact our Professionals at Executive Touch Painters on (416) 410-0164 to get a Free Estimate.