Project Fireplace
July 3, 2004
The fireplace when we moved in
The stripping of the fireplace, which began in the last few days of 2003, continues to haunt us. The paint (a thick latex) proved completely impractical to remove from the molded cement "stones" after many failed attempts with various products to make progress at anything better than toothbrush speed.
The fireplace resisting all attempts to be stripped
Finally, after 6 months of frustration (and no help from our admittedly overworked handyman who was supposed to get back to us months ago), we decided to just paint over it. With a lot of elbow grease, we might have been able to strip the mantle at least (which looks to be made of pine) but at this point, we just don't care to make the effort anymore. We're tired of its silent jeering and just want it finished. So, we bought some sandable spray primer and went to town.
We've picked a white sandstone textured paint for the "stonework". Since we had to scrap the stained wood idea (sigh), we're going with a terra cotta for the flagstones and maybe an herby green for the mantle.
The fireplace with a terra cotta hearth
At the last minute, Kevin talked me into doing the mantle in dark brown. I love the color and gloss, but it doesn't really go with the hearth. The effect is softened somewhat by the accoutrements, but we're going to have to cover the hearth with something a little more subtle if we want it to look right.
Next project: The kitchen
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