I’m so excited to reveal this fireplace makeover. This is my very first DIY project and I am so proud of it! We have a red brick fireplace that was painted white by the previous homeowners but there was a cement gray block that was very plain and just threw off the fireplace making it kind of an eyesore. I wanted to accent it so I kept seeing these very simple DIYS for painting faux tile on the hearth or floor in front of the fireplace. Unfortunately, I picked a very intricate design for the faux tile that I am now beyond in love with! I’m giving you all the details so you can do it at home, too! Below are my DIY steps:
Step 1: Choose the stencil that you will use. I recommend that you consider the shape and size of the faux fireplace tile. I chose a very intricate design that proved to be tricky along the way. If you love the look of my tile pattern, read on!
Step 2: Choose your painting tools carefully. Try and have a whole arsenal. You may need a smudger, a small paintbrush, a wide brush for large strokes, a small roller with two rolls, a painting tray with two tray covers, a damp cloth that you don’t plan to use again, and painter’s tape. Better to be fully prepared!
Step 3: This is the best part – choosing your paint colors! I could not wait for this part! My husband and I picked Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams and Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams. We went to Lowe’s and we actually used Sherwin Williams paint samples. (How affordable, right?) They come in a satin finish so a little shiny but not enough that it’s blinding.
Step 4: WIPE down the whole surface. Let it dry then use the Painter’s tape to tape off around the tile, to be sure you don’t get the paint on the floor.
Step 5: Prime the whole surface with Zinsser 123 Primer. I did one coat and only took 2 hours to dry!
Step 6: Paint the whole surface using a Purdy Jumbo Mini Roller with a 3/8 in. nap. It soaked in the Sherwin-Williams paint sample of Alabaster and spread it out so evenly. I did two coats and it dried within 6 hours.
Step 7: STENCIL! Once you’re done painting the tile white and have a clean canvas to work with, it’s time to stencil. I used a 12” stencil that is plenty large to see when you first walk in from the front door. I’m afraid if I went smaller. It would be just like a blob.
Step 8: This is where it got a little tricky. First, lay down the stencil across in the starting point of your choice (I recommend going in the bottom corner of the right side) and use blue tape to secure it. I tried to use another jumbo mini-roller to roll on the Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black but because of how intricate the design was on stencil as it contains numerous fleur-de-lis…Long story short, I hand-painted the whole stencil to avoid paint splatter and line smudges. I also noticed if you remove the whole stencil after painting over it, that seems to work best.
After removing the stencil, I placed it on a paper bag and wiped it down with the damp paper towel to remove any remaining tape so it doesn’t get on the hearth the next time I laid it down.
Pro tip: don’t worry if you get some paint on the white part – quickly catch it and use a damp cloth to wipe it away.
Step 9: After all your beautiful work, let it dry for at least 6 hours to avoid tackiness, smudging, smearing, or paint splattering. Then, go back over and touch up any rough edges. Then SEAL IT! I did two coats of Polycrylic Matte (with no shine). I waited for one hour in between both coats.
The priming and painting took me a whole weekend (Friday night and part of Saturday morning). The stenciling portion took me about the rest of Saturday with some breaks in between. I sealed the faux fireplace tile on Sunday morning.
We love how it turned out so much!! I’m so glad I did this quick DIY project to enhance the look of our fireplace for less than $50. The only downside was that it was a whole weekend, but it was worth it to have a couple of people who have come over and definitely been fooled into thinking it’s real cement tile. Hooray!
What do you think? Let me know if you have also tried this DIY in the comments below.
Love,
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