Fireplace Fix-Up

I’ve never been a fan of this honey colored mantel or the peach faux sponge painted whatever you want  to call it tiles! So today I’m setting out to fix it up! I’ve been looking at tile and was ready to rip out the old, when it hit me. CHALK PAINT! What a brilliant way to change the look and feel of my room without doing any demo and for little cost.

I decided on Coco for my tile color, which is a dark gray khaki color. My walls will be getting a face lift too in the next few weeks with a much lighter tan color. I’ll post the finished room once I get there! This dark color will add depth and be a nice contrast. For my mantel I am going with Annie Sloan chalk paint in “Pure White”. A fresh alternative to what’s there.

Here I go!

To prep…wait there is no prep! With Annie Sloan chalk paint there’s no need to sand, strip or prime. I wiped down the tile and mantel with a damp cloth to clean off any dust. Then I used painters tape to protect the carpet, fireplace insert and mantel. After wiping down my fireplace (which was surprisingly filthy) and taping off the surrounding area, I brushed on my paint.

I started with the mantel painting it Pure White.

Here it is after just one coat. What a difference already!

Then I moved on to painting the tile in “Coco”.

It was that easy! I let it sit for about 20 minutes and applied a second coat to each area. With chalk paint it’s a good idea to wax your project with either clear or dark wax. BUT for this project I decided NOT to wax either the tile or the mantel. The heat can cause the wax to bubble. This has happened to painted projects that were waxed and were used outdoors. The top of my mantel does heat up and the tile directly above the insert does too. I didn’t want to risk the bubbling.

Here’s the finished project! It looks SO much better! I am thrilled how it turned out and am left wondering why on earth I didn’t do this sooner? I’ve only been staring at this golden mantle for 5+ years. I’m happy it’s done and hope this has inspired you to look around your house. What can you find to chalk paint???

Want to try out Annie Sloan chalk paint? Head to B Designs Home Décor in Downtown Hillsboro to find your favorite colors.  They carry small sample pots too! My entire mantle including the top (and clear back behind the TV) took less than half a quart of “Pure White”. The tile surround took about an 8^th of a quart? It took such a small amount I couldn’t believe it! This paint is magical and can transform anything you can imagine!

Happy Painting!