Have you ever wanted to change your home’s fireplace, but didn’t know what you could do? This was my husband and I's dilemma. We saw a house in our neighborhood change the exterior of the bricks and thought it was beautiful.
I really wish I had a before and after photo of it.
Nevertheless, after a bunch of Google searches and watching HGTV we stumbled onto something called Limewashing and it hit us like a ton of bricks - no pun intended! We both agreed that had to be what the house down the street did to their exterior brick.
It was a real ha-ha moment!!!
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Of course, we continued reading about changing your fireplace and we kept seeing limewashing ideas. I didn’t know what Limewashing entailed, what supplies you needed, if this was something I needed to pay someone to do, or if I could do this myself. After a few more YouTube videos, we quickly learned that it’s quite simple. But what is Limewashing?
What is Limewashing?
Limewashing is the process of providing a vintage look to a surface such as a brick fireplace. It provides a finish that you might see on older historic buildings. House Beautiful has more information on Limewash and useful tips and information. You can read more information about that here.
Steps:
-Clean your fireplace with water, let dry for 45mins-60mins
-Spray the brick with water
-Add limewash paint with a paintbrush and let dry for 35 mins-60 mins; we waited about 45-55 minutes
-Dab or wipe off paint using a rag, in spots for a distressed look
-Repeat (spray, dry, wipe) until you get the desired look
Supplies Needed:
1. Rags or Sponge 
2. Paintbrush
3. Spray Bottle
4. Limewash (pre-mixed with water)
5. Stain for Mantle (if applicable)
6. Sandpaper
Do not paint with regular paint, it will not give you that distressed look. Paint will totally cover the brick and provide a finished look. You want to expose some of the brick behind the limewash and you can expose as much or as little as you want, by just wiping a little of the limewash away.
Limewashing is permanent and can last for many years. To maintain your new fireplace, just clean the fireplace with a little soap and water to keep it fresh and looking clean.
Here's our before & after photo.
We decorated it just in time for fall.
We just stained the mantle black to match against the white brick and viola. We think it came out really well. I was a little apprehensive, but it wasn't hard at all.
If we can do it, you can do it too!
Updated photo