I have a white brick fireplace that always looks dirty. I would like to faux paint it using colors of brown and blue. The surrounding bookshelves are white with brown interior paint. Walls and carpet are beige/taupe at this point. I have never tried to faux finish anything so I am looking for an easy application. ~Carol

Hello Carol,

If you are looking for an easy application, I am not sure if this would count as one. There is really no way to try this out on a sample board first, unless you purchase a few bricks and practice on them first. Follow the instructions below. Once you have your base color figured out, you can then dry brush your glaze colors onto the face of the bricks. If you like brown & blue, you will want to grab a couple different shades of each.

Here are the steps you will need to follow:

1. Pick Colors (in your case a few different shades of blues & browns) You will also need to pick a grout color and use that as your base.

2. Clean the brick thoroughly. Small amounts of soot are not a problem and can be sealed with a good primer. But if the fireplace is extra dirty with soot, then it will need to be cleaned with TSP. Washing the brick helps the primer to adhere better to the surface.

3. Prime - Use a good primer & sealer like Kilz, Bin, or Zinsser.

4. Base coat the surface with whatever color you want your grout to be. A satin or pearl finish would be your best choice.

5. Dry brush each brick a different color. Keep it random to give it a more natural feel. You can also layer the colors on top of one another. This will be the part where your creativity will come in! Play around with the colors. You can even use a sea sponge and dab the color on that way. Be sure to mix your colors with glaze to make the paint more movable. (2 parts paint to 2 parts glaze)

Good luck! That Painter Lady, DAWN

photo credit: 19melissa68