3 Tips for Painting Your Fireplace Hearth

A white fireplace.

Your fireplace is often the focal point of your room, and that is why you need to make the fireplace hearth as presentable as you can. You can also use painting your fireplace hearth as a means to liven up the entire look of your fireplace. The great thing about changing colors is the job does not take as much effort but at the same time you can successfully emphasize or de-emphasize any part of the room according to your color choice.

1. Protecting the Fireplace Hearth

When it comes to protecting your fireplace hearth throughout the painting procedure, the only way for you to protect your floor is to use a drop cloth. This is the most basic tip there is in the book, but a lot of people do miss this and they end up scrubbing the floor around the hearth after they have spent the entire day painting the fireplace hearth.

If you do not have any drop cloth, you can simply lay out a piece of tarp and then sheets of newspaper on top of the tarp. You can crumple the newspapers up and throw them away when you’re done painting.

2. Priming the Hearth

Once you’ve secured your floor, the next thing that you should worry about is preparing your hearth for the paint job. In order for you to paint the hearth properly, you should get rid of any grime, stain, and dust that have accumulated in your hearth. It’s actually quite easy to do so. Using soapy water or any diluted solution of a basic cleaner, scrub the dirt away and then rinse all the soap away with water.

Once you are done cleaning the hearth, the next way to prime your hearth is by sanding off the rough portions of your hearth. As long as the surfaces are smooth, the paint will be able to adhere better to your fireplace hearth.

When you have successfully sanded down your hearth, the next step is to apply a coat of latex brick primer on your hearth. In order for you to apply equal coats and have an easier job, you can always use a big roller. Once the primer dries, you can go on and apply a coat of latex paint.

3. Picking the Color

Picking the color for your fireplace hearth is very crucial. One great way for you to come up with the ideal shade is to look at the pieces of furniture you have around the room and the fabrics on them. From there, think of a color that will complement the existing color palette you have around your house. A tip to make your fireplace a focal point of the room is to paint it a contrasting color with regards to the existing colors you have going on. This will make your fireplace pop. On the other hand, if you want to detract attention from the fireplace, you should paint the hearth a similar color to the room.