Painting Brick With Chalk Paint

I finally did it.  Something I've been wanting to do since we moved into the house 10 years ago.

 

Yes, I do tend to procrastinate.

 

I've been wanting to paint the brick around our fireplace, but the thought of using a special primer, then painting the whole thing again with latex paint just made me tired.

 

And then along came chalk paint!

 

Of course I've been using chalk paint on furniture for the last couple of years. I've seen other people in blogland use it for brick--even asphalt--and it looked great.  So I decided to take the plunge.

 

Here's the fireplace before painting. (The mantel was decorated for Valentine's Day)

 

 

 

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.  I read about a project in her book, Color Recipes, where she painted limestone walls, and decided to use the same technique on my brick.

 

She diluted the paint, so I did too.  I used about 2/3 paint to 1/3 water.  I just eyeballed it, so the ratio isn't exact. It took two coats. 

 

After painting the brick, I decided the mantel stood out too much color-wise and cut the fireplace in half visually.

 

 

 

So I did a color wash on the mantel.  I was going for generally the same type of look as my door, which is on the other side of the room.

 

 

 

 

Here's the mantel after, with the wash.  I'm not liking the white with the color of the stain of the mantel wood, so I'll probably be painting the whole thing out.  But I'm going to live with it for awhile.

 

 

 

I was going to paint the dated brass fireplace doors with heat resistant black paint, but the doors are so rusted and hard to open, I decided to just buy a new set down the road.  Fireplace doors are not cheap though, so I will have to put up with the ugly brass for a bit longer. But it will look better in the long run.

 

I sealed the paint with General Finishes poly in flat.  I didn't want shiny bricks.

 

All in all, I love the change.  I think it brightens up the room and goes well with the beige walls and white furniture.

 

 

 

 

And by diluting it, it only took a little more than half a can of the ASCP. So the cost was cheaper than if I had to buy primer and paint.

 

Cheaper and easier--what more could I ask for?

 

Before, from last winter ...

 

 

 



 

And after, with my summer white pillows and the rug I changed out awhile ago ...

 

 

And in this case, procrastinating paid off, because chalk paint wasn't around 10 years ago!  :)


Sharing at:

French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Twelve O Eight: Inspiration Monday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
Timewashed: Blissful Whites Wednesday


 

Dining Room Redo

Before I start putting up the holiday decorations I want to finally show you my dining room make-over.  It may have taken me since last spring, but at least I got it done in time for Thanksgiving!

Here's how it looked before.

I liked the color on the walls, but with the darker furniture and the fact that we don't get a lot of light, the room just always seemed dark to me. I wanted to lighten and brighten it up. 

So I hit Craigslist and painted my little heart out.  You've seen most of the pieces as I've done them, but here they are all together.

I've whined posted about all the issues with the table a couple of times.  I ended up painting the top, and I'm still not sure I'm done with it.  I may change the color a bit. But it's staying like this at least through the end of the year.

I got the table (with four leaves!) and four chairs for $40. The chairs were painted in ASCP in old white, and I recovered the seats with drop cloths.  The head chairs I bought on Craigslist for $15 a piece!

The china cabinet is the same one I had, I just painted it.

I moved this table from the foyer into the dining room.

The console and mirror were CL finds.  The mirror was gold, and I painted it white. You can see the console before here.

I didn't paint everything ...  I didn't want everything "matchy-matchy." I kept the wood frame on the large mirror, and the little shelves where I display some bud vases and bottles. 

So that's it!  It's a big change, and I'm pretty happy with it. But you know what the best thing about it is?  I actually made money on this makeover!!  I sold our old dining room table and chairs (on Craigslist), for more than I paid for all the furniture and supplies I bought for the redo.


Sharing at:

Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
My Repurposed Life: Catch as Catch Can
Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphis Monday
Primitive & Proper: Piece of Work Wednesday

Magical Mercury Tutorial

 

Take a few of these ...

Thrift store finds - about $1.50 each

Add this and a spray bottle of water ...

I couldn't find this at Home Depot or Michaels, so I ordered online from Amazon.com.

The large size is around $17

And get this - faux Mercury Glass!

Here they are with some tea lights in them.

I first saw this done by Maury of A Fabuless Home.  Mine didn't go as smoothly as hers -- I accidentally sprayed the front of my shirt with the paint (I blame a faulty sprayer valve ... not the fact that I'm basically a klutz!).   

But it's easy. All you do is spray the glass piece with the Krylon paint, let it dry for about 20 seconds or so, then lightly spritz it with water.  I decided to spray mine on the outside of the piece.

Because of the aforementioned issue with the paint sprayer valve, I got drips.  But all I did was blot with a paper towel and spray again until I got the desired effect. Actually I should have done more spraying and blotting, but the paint fumes were giving me a headache (note to self and to you, make sure you do this in a very well-ventilated area). 

The best thing about this project is you can't screw it up! The more you blot and respray the more realistic it looks. Well, maybe that's the second best thing.  The very best is the fact that you can get the same look as this ...

Ballard Designs, $25 - $39 each

For a whole lot less. I'm trying it on glass ornaments next!