When we moved into our home over thirteen years ago, I made a long mental list of things I wanted to change. I hated the light over the kitchen table, and the wallpaper in the kitchen and powder room reminded me of a prairie skirt I wore circa 1982. The carpet in the powder room, while odd, didn’t move to the top of the list until James started potty training. A toddler without full control of his equipment needs to practice on hard flooring, not plush.
Some things had to wait until the budget allowed, and some things just faded into the background. The ripped and filthy berber screamed at me to replace it, but the brass hardware throughout the house merely whispered. Our fireplace sits unused and bored, an intended focal point that is simply a resting place for shoes and keys. Its glass doors are trimmed in brass, and I’ve never liked them. Finally, after over a decade, I decided to do something about it.
Given my track record with DIY home improvements, Matt was not enthusiastic about my fireplace makeover project. I promised him that it would cost less than $20 and would not result in having to call in a professional to fix my mess.
I kept my promise. I taped off the brass strips at the bottom and the top of the doors, so that I wouldn’t get paint on the glass. I removed the horrible looking handles and bought sleek brushed nickel ones for less than $5.00. Then I used a foam paintbrush to paint over the brass with Rust-oleum High Heat Satin Black paint. I painted both the outside and the inside, because you could see the brass inside the doors reflected in the glass.
The job would have been more professional had I removed the doors, but I’m too lazy and I get bored easily. I wanted a cheap, quick and easy fix, and I got it.
The goal of many home decor projects is to create impact. This one, however, was to de-emphasize a fixture that is not particularly attractive. I don’t expect anyone to walk into my house and say, “Ooooh – look at your fireplace!” I just got tired of walking into my house and thinking, “Yuck – look at that fireplace.”
Is there something in your home that bugs you but you’ve learned to ignore it? Do you think you’ll ever get around to fixing it? If it’s a brass fireplace, go for it!
You just un-dated your fireplace! Brilliant, and so simple! I would love to change all my door handles from bronze to oil-rubbed bronze. I’m sure it’s easy and cheap, just haven’t gotten around to it!
Oh, there are so many things in my home that I’ve learned to ignore. The worst are the ones where the primary problem isn’t much of a fix, but to do it right, you end up needing to practically do a whole renovation. Ugh. I like the black. Job well done!
Thanks, Leslie. And I know all about ending up with a much bigger project than you started with. Fortunately this one did not end up that way!
I’m impressed. I’m no good with DIY projects!
I have varying success, Allie. Next up: I’m going to attempt to recover my dining room chair cushions. Wish me luck!
As I type this I do not want to know if there is brass on my fireplace. If there is it has never bothered me. Scared to look for fear of messing up a DIY. Seems easy enough. The majority of our indoor doorknobs are still “gold” and they drive me crazy. I’ve changed a few of them like when the bathroom and the kitchen were redone I HAD to change the doorknobs of course. But closets, bedroom doors etc still have them.
Side note: I am going to tweet you a pic of a DIY I “thunk up” all by myself. I covered up a doggie door that came with the house. We don’t and won’t ever have a dog.
Well, I now know you have brass – I’m sorry! We still have brass doorknobs too – I hate them. I should just start replacing a few at a time.
What an easy fix! It looks so great and didn’t take much time at all! I’m with you, I would have not been a fan of seeing the brass day after day. The black looks great!
Thanks, NJ. In clothing and in home decor, you can’t go wrong with black!
There are several things in our house that bug me and need improvement. Some are major jobs and would require professional help, and some are not. I need to stop procrastinating and tend to some of the minor improvements – as they can indeed make for major improved appearances (such as your fireplace improvement). Your post has inspired me to get busy and do them. Thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome Marcia – sometimes we just need a little inspiration. When I finished painting, I wondered why it took me so long to do something so simple. Procrastination – that’s why.
That was a great fix, and looks so much better! I have a few brass things hanging around that I need to tackle, too.
The fireplace surrounds and flat hearth in our bedroom are carrara marble, which I’m not a fan of. I had the same type surrounds in our family room replaced with a black granite, but I didn’t want to spend the money in our bedroom. I used the same paint you did, and painted the marble. It took about four coats, but it looks amazing!
Oh, I bet it does! If money were no object, I would rip out the whole fireplace since we never use it.
Wow! That’s so cool!!! I have the exact horrible brass fireplace and I’m stealing this idea!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Roshni. Wish we lived closer – I have tons of black paint left over that you could use!
It’s amazing what a huge impact such a small change can have! When we bought our house, the fireplace brick had all been painted…brick red. Argh! They had even painted the mortar lines white! It was awful. We painted over it and the rest of the room in the same color. I’ve had comments from people who can’t believe we painted the brick, but then I tell them how bad it was before and they approve.
Bricks painted red? How odd. I’m thinking about painting our brick, but Matt is worried that if it looks bad we are stuck with it. How does yours look? Maybe you could send me a picture to convince him. 🙂
I’m not very good at home improvement but there are certainly many things that bother me, day after day. It would be fun to knock a few off my list. And then I’m sure I’d find more!
That’s the problem with owning a home, Tamara. There is always more!
I did the same to ours before I started blogging (when Tucker was like 2 months old and I left him on the bed napping). I also painted our red bricks white because better. I should do a before and after!
Yes you should! I’d love to see it, because I’ve been thinking about doing that too.
There is so much in my home that bugs me! Unfortunately, most of it would be a major undertaking that would require professionals to fix (i.e. wood paneling, bathroom cabinets & countertops, etc.) I like the way your fireplace looks, though – definitely a bit more modern.
Thanks, Lisa – that’s what I was hoping. Not a big change, just not screaming “the eighties” anymore.
It looks fabulous.
I wish we had a fireplace.
It doesn’t even work, Amber! It’s a gas fireplace, and the gas company took away the tank when we moved in. With a toddler and an infant, we weren’t using it at all. Thirteen years later we rarely sit in that room, so we never hooked it up.
What a big difference a little paint made. I’m sure you now sit on the couch looking at the fireplace with a little more satisfaction!
I can see it from the kitchen, and it does make me happy. Ironically, that fireplace isn’t even functional, and I never sit in that room! But that doesn’t mean it can’t look better.
Looks great, Dana!! This reminds me of our first home that had a brick fireplace hearth that had been painted white. The paint was chipped when we moved in and I kept meaning to repaint or at least touch up the spots but was too busy with my babies. I finally painted the hearth in a flurry of home “touch-ups” before putting the house up for sale. Of course it looked so much better and I kicked myself for not doing it sooner!
Funny you should mention painted brick, Mo. I’m considering painting the brick around our fireplace – not a stark white, but maybe a cream color. Matt is firmly against it though. He may win this one.
Great job, super easy and inexpensive fix and it looks great! DIY projects are not my thing at all…if I had more time…maybe 😉 I hate the light hanging over my breakfast bar, but there is not way I would even attempt to change them out myself because I would surely get zapped! lol
xoxo
Jennifer
Yes – I stay away from electrical stuff too! But it’s an easy job for an electrician, and I do love looking for pretty light fixtures.
We have some brass around still, too. I’ve slowly been replacing most of it over the past 10 years but…..
And, for some odd reason, the previous homeowners put carpet in the guest bathroom and the master bath. The boys bath has vinyl which is better anyway. I’m hoping later this year to tile all 3 of the bathrooms!!
I don’t understand why people carpet bathrooms. I’m sure you will be so happy with your new tile, Kim.
I love how little changes can make a difference in a room!
Me too – and I especially like the cost of those little changes!
It looks really great! Now that we’re living in what’s essentially a rental, I’m not making any major upgrades (although it seriously needs new carpet) so it’s freed up my mind to think a little more about decorating. I’ve been playing around with different seasonal things on a gallery wall over the couch, but I still don’t have it quite right. Baby steps!
That a great advantage to not owning – you have the freedom to play with decorating and get creative. And I’m a big fan of baby steps!
My hubby and I are first time home owners.. we have been in out new house about 9 months now! We’re currently in the process of renovating our entryway closet into an actual mudroom.. it’s been in progress since the month we moved in.. haha!! Hopefully it’ll be done in the next month or two! Nice project, btw! Looks great!!
Thanks, Gingi. I would love a mudroom – that is the one thing I would change about our home. You’re smart to do it now, before you have kids throwing their shoes and coats everywhere!
Yeah, I plan on blogging about my progress.. You’ll have to keep an eye out for it!! I am in crazy nesting mode right now, haha… – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Ugh! The entire doors of our fireplace are brass. I hate them! But I have t gotten around to doing anything about them. Maybe when my kids are teenagers.
I waited that long! But really, you could do it before then – you’re so handy, Sarah. Maybe you can take off the doors and spray paint them outside when the weather is warmer.
You never cease to amaze me with these projects of yours! I don’t think I would know I could “tap” the brass ugliness right off of that fireplace!? It looks 100% better and I’m sure you feel like 1,000% better.
One of my “gifts” this year was my husband finally moving his office from our beautiful dining room, to our finished basement. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have my dining room back!!…of course, it’s where my desk is, but mine fits the decor 🙂
Of course! My dining room table is Matt’s desk, and it is currently Gwen’s home base for her Physics bridge building project. Toothpicks everywhere…
Nicely done, Dana! Isn’t it amazing how a simple change can make such a big difference? Now that Sam and I are finally homeowners (weeeeee!) we have a very long list of things we would like to fix. We (or rather, Sam) put a new closet organizational system since the old one was terrible. This spring I want to spruce up our enclosed porch (mostly just repaint the horribly ugly brown floors–yuck!)
It’s fun to do some of those things, and I’ve learned what I can tackle myself through trial and error. I hope you’ll share some of your before and afters, too!
Go you!!! Love it!!!
I can’t ignore anything now that I have Pinterest because I can do all the things!
So I think I can…errr.
I’m about to tackle the kitchen/living space that my husband took over a year to renovate (total gut). I see him shake every time I pull up Pinterest.
Ha – I can relate. Matt walked in as I was writing this post, and thought I was reading an article about how to paint the bricks of the fireplace (which I’ve also been thinking of doing). “What are you doing now?” he grumbled. He knows me well – poor guy.
I am like you and love small easy DIY projects such as this to spruce up the overall look in our home, too. Great job, Dana and love the new look of your fireplace.
Thanks Janine!