The Long Overdue Fireplace Makeover
After much procrastination I finally tackled the updating of my ugly old fireplace. I hope you love this fireplace makeover as much as I do!
Why did I name this post “The Long Overdue Fireplace Makeover?” Because that is exactly what it is! This project is loong overdue.
I had been thinking of doing this since last winter when I had shown you the wash tub that had been repurposed for wood storage. I kept on looking at that awful fireplace and thinking maybe it was time to get rid of that dark ugly color.
But I did nothing till November, when I lit the fireplace and remembered why I hated it.
After a whole winter’s worth of research and much procrastination I found inspiration from Melissa of Dancing Dog Cabin. I absolutely loved the look of her fireplace makeover and decided to recreate it. I started with 2 coats of chalk paint.
And then set to work drawing the shapes to make it look like a stone fireplace. And not very well at that!
But there was no turning back. I used different colors of acrylic paint, mixing many together as I went along.
I added highlights and shadows as best as I could.
This actually took me a couple of days because I’m indecisive.
And I’m done! I’ll wait a week to let the paint cure and then I will seal it with varnish. This way if it gets dirty, which it will, I won’t have to worry about rubbing off the color when I clean it.
I’ll upload pictures with the varnish a bit later, but I just couldn’t wait to share this with you!! (Here is part two of the makeover.)
A quick look at the before:
The pictures do not do it justice, it has lots of depth and nuance. I’ve got to work on those photography skills.
There is a part two to this fireplace makeover here.
When I showed this photo to my son he said “you should have done this years ago!” Well, better late than never for my long overdue fireplace makeover. Do you ever have a project in mind and then just procrastinate forever, like I did?
When I saw thw post on FB I thought it was a real stone!! Wow!! Mary you did a great job!! Yes. your son was right!! 🙂 Καλή συνέχεια!!
Best compliment ever Eleana! Thank you so much. I took a trip to the mountains this week and ended up with a bunch of photographs of stone walls…lol. I’ll be adding more details and then finishing it off.
Wow Mary, it looks awesome!! When I first saw the picture I would have said it had real stones! It is way better now, it brings light! It’s not new to me that you are talented, this just reassures me on my thought!
Thank you so much Pili! I’m going to work on it a bit more and make it look even more like stone, add some veins in it and stubble. Thank you for the sweet comment.
I’ll say it again, you are so talented and this is so beautiful.
Thank you Celeste…. it sure took me long enough!
Wow, this looks fantastic! You did a wonderful job here. Thanks for the shout out.
Melissa I have to thank you. If I hadn’t seen your fireplace the inspiration would not have struck! Yours is gorgeous and I’m simply trying to come close to that perfection.
Looove the outcome! you are a perfectionist 🙂
thanks for visiting my blog today
Thank you Ana! You have a great blog with so much great color!
Beautiful makeover!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so m uch for your kind words. It really needed a makeover!
Oh my goodness Mary, you have outdone yourself with this one! I absolutely love how the stones look real! The colors you chose are all so pretty and I love the variation!
I love the shape of your fireplace and I think the rocks you painted are just perfect for the shape!
Beautiful job!
Hugs, Kimberley
Kimberly I used lighter colors for the most part because I was sick of looking at that brown, which for some reason looked so great when I first painted it but, not anymore. Thanks for the comment, and I totally agree, if I had painted bricks it would not have looked right on that type of shaped fireplace.
Mary, Your daughter is not the only painter in the family 🙂 I admit that I am a huge procrastinator in just about everything. The number of projects I have to complete are numerous. Good for you to get one off of your list! I would have never thought to do something like this. Very creative and I think it turned out great! What I enjoy most about visiting your blog is your happiness in each project, and it makes me smile each time. Great Job!
Pinning and tweeting to share. Thanks for sharing with us at Brag About It!
~Laurie
Aww Laurie, I’m glad that comes across. Isn’t it great to be able to do what you love and have it as your job? (future goals) Since I started this blog its as if each day is an unknown adventure. Thank you soo much for your sweet comment. You just made my day!
Wow – you did an amazing job with this fireplace Mary! I turned out absolutely great! Looks so real! So creative!
Thanks Ilka. You should have seen me on tha ladder swaying back and forth. I’m a bit short so it was quite a strech for me to reach the top of the fireplace. Let’s hope the stones up there don’t look to bad.
Hi Mary, just think if you hadn’t procrastinated so much you may not have come across Melissa’s Dancing Dog Cabin. Your fireplace looks so much lighter and brighter than before. You’ve really done a good job, if it were me I wouldn’t know where to start!
xx
Always looking at the bright side of things Debbie. I even have a pinterest board devoted to Fireplaces but the click came when I saw Melissa’s fireplace. It was bright and cheery and that’s just what we need in this area.
Mary, you did an amazing job. The colors are beautiful and design is really just beyond!
Regina I walk into the room and stare at it. That’s all. I just stare. I’ll tell you I didn’t think I could pull it off. I’m waiting for the seal of approval from my dad who has always been my inspiration for these sorts of DIY projects.
wow! totally awesome!
Thanks Millie, it took long enough but it was worth it.
Oh WOW! What a job you took on, I cannot imagine taking on such a project. It turned out beautiful. I would love to see pictures of more of your projects, I bet you have done many,
Thank you so much Pamela. If you would like to see more projects simply click on the tab at the top of the blog under project gallery. I have loads of projects and adventures that I get myself into.
love the fireplace I want one like this when I get a house thanks for sharing visiting from redo it yourself hop have a great week
Thank you Lorraine. I like it better now that is has some texture.
Wow Mary. I love how this turned out. This is very creative. You did a fabulous job.
Thank you so much Trish. I am so happy walking into this bright room after having lived with the brown for so long.
Wow, Mary what a wonderful upcycle! Great job ~ thanks for sharing it @Vintage Charm!
Thank you Cecilia, I’m going to rest a bit before I tackle the second part of this fireplace. I want to add a bit more detail, but I think about the wobbly stairs all the time.
What a clever idea, I would of never thought of painting it to look like stone. It looks amazing!
Thanks Claire. I didn’t want to just paint it and I couldn’t shiplap it being that it is curved so I had to get creative.
Ok I saw the pictures on facebook and I was speechless! This is amazing and it looks like a hard work! You are an artist! Congratulations!
Aww Thank you Katerina! That is so sweet of you. It’s work but not hard when you have a vision and you want to achieve it.
Beautiful transformation and it looks like real stones!
Jemma
I’m so glad that you said that Jemma. I was trying to achieve this exact effect. I’ll add a few more details and then seal it off.
Mary, what an interesting corner fireplace… I love the cozy shape of it… and your faux stone treatment is so fun! So, I wanted to ask you before… are you in Greek or why are you in Greece? Your English is so good, I’m thinking you must be a transplant there? Fun stopping back to your blog. 🙂
Liz I am Greek but grew up in the States and have moved back here. Let’s see how long I’ll manage to survive. The firplace is very characteristic of the greek style. By adding the stones I make it look even more so. Thanks for your sweet comment.