It’s common for homeowners with painted fireplaces to ask, “Can I remove paint from a brick fireplace?

The answer is yes, but removing the paint from your brick fireplace can be a tedious process. Make sure you really want to remove it before you start.

In many cases, a better option is to paint over the fireplace with a new color or use a specialty paint kit to get a natural brick look using just paint.

Remember, it’s likely that you don’t know what the brick under the paint looks like. You’ll probably end up revealing a dark red, outdated brick that is uglier than a fresh coat of paint would have been.

You may uncover an antique brick that you love. However, you won’t know what brick you’ll uncover until you start. Once you apply the paint remover, it’s hard to go back.

If you decide that removing the paint is the best option, start by considering the size of your fireplace.  If you have a lot of painted brick, you may want to hire a professional. This is a super tedious and time consuming process, and it’s not something you’ll want to stop halfway through. If your fireplace is small, you may want to skip the cost of hiring someone and do it yourself.

It’s easy to find paint strippers at local hardware stores or online. Some strippers have a gel or paste consistency and others are thin as water.

Look for products made for use on masonry. You may also want to look for products that don’t produce lots of toxic fumes.

If you know whether the brick is covered in oil or latex based paint, get a stripper made for that type of paint. I also recommend asking an expert at your local hardware store for recommendations or looking at reviews online.

Some people recommend sandblasting or pressure washing brick to remove the paint. However, this typically ends up damaging the surface of the brick and mortar.

This could result in needing to repair the brick or replace it completely. Unstable brick is not good building material, and you definitely don’t want it in your home.

Must-Have Materials

If you’re going to be doing this yourself, here is a list of materials you’ll need and some step-by-step instructions. The process itself is quite simple, but it’s slow going so put on some music or your favorite podcast to keep you company.

• Gloves
• Eye protection
• Mask (optional depending on the stripper you choose)
• Drop clothes and tape
• Paint stripper and the tools it recommends. This could include:
  • Wire brush
  • Steel wool
  • Putty scraper
  • Rags
  • Paint brush

1. Start by testing the stripping agent you chose on an inconspicuous portion of the brick.  This will give you an idea of how many layers of paint there are and how much time the project will take.
2. Prepare your area by laying down a drop cloth at minimum.  You may want to cover the walls with a sheet as well so you don’t accidentally fling a bit of paint stripper onto your painted walls.
3. Put on your protective equipment and apply the paint stripper as indicated on the packaging.  Different stripping agents require different application methods.  Some may need to sit on the brick for an extended period of time before you wipe them away.
4. As you’re going through the paint removal process, you’ll notice that the porous surface of the brick may retain paint in a few recessed areas.  You can try scraping and scrubbing this away or applying a little more paint remover in certain areas.
5. Be sure to remove the cleaner properly.  Some cleaners may need to be rinsed away thoroughly or rinsed with soap and water.

Check out these inspiring designs for your painted stone fireplace.

Stone fireplaces work as a great focal point in any home. With a unique texture and rustic feel, their texture and design can add so much to any room. However, a bad paint job can easily make a fireplace a sloppy, outdated feature. Understanding that your ugly fireplace can be saved with a simple paint job can totally inspire an indoor renovation. Check out these modern paint colors that can update your fireplace, and your entire home.

While beautiful painted stone fireplace before and after photos look great, understanding how to achieve these looks might seem overwhelming. These projects aren't always as impossible as they seem. It could be as simple as a layer of solid paint, but so many possibilities exist when it comes to painted stone fireplaces.

1. Solid White

Painted white stone is an extremely popular trend in home design right now. While it may sound boring, or even too simple, but the bright pop of color can completely change the dynamic of any room. Opting for white stone will make the painting process easy, as well as choosing the colors. As you can see, having a solid, opaque layer of white paint can modernize an otherwise dated style of fireplace. The great thing about white paint is that it can match any room design, and the decor surrounding it can be taken in so many directions. Completely playing off the clean, white look is a great way to brighten a home.

This stone fireplace makeover by A Beautiful Mess truly emphasizes this brightening effect a coat of white paint on your stone can have, dramatically opening up what was already a very dark room to begin with:

It's hard for your jaw not to drop when you see this, as Laurel Home puts it, "Gorilla Dung" fireplace transformed into a beautiful French/old world look. Just goes to show that even the ugliest of stone fireplaces can be salvaged with the right paint job!

Here's another great example of solid white painted stone courtesy of Most Lovely Things, this time with a slightly different shade of white:

2. Solid Grey

Another great color option for a clean but understated painted stone fireplace is to use neutral shades like greys or taupes. Or you could utilize the best of both worlds, like this stone fireplaces painted with grey-taupe via Snazzy Little Things:

Notice at the the top of the fireplace where Jeanette left a bit of the original stone for comparison's sake... what a difference!

A grey or taupe color is also popular for maintaining the integrity of a more classic stone look. These colors mimic more of the natural shades of stone, but new paint freshens the color and cleans up the overall appearance.

Here's another great example from The Inspired Room of a grey painted stone, this time using a chalk paint:

3. Combining Neutral Tones

Take the grey tones one step further and combine several different colors to achieve a more complex and layered look.'

We love this stone fireplace transformation from Brick-Anew, which utilizes a several different neutral tones to achieve a textured, dimensional look:

Here's another great example from Pam at The Birch Cottage, who combined a white and a grey shade to give the stone a bit more depth:

You can see how this stone fireplace transformation from Paper & Fox not only gives the room a breath of fresh air, but is also able to maintain the look of natural stone:

Have you seen or used another paint or method on your stone fireplace and achieved some breathtaking results? Comment below to let us know what you did!