This project was my first time updating a fireplace! Needless to say, I was intimidated, and our plans took a few turns, but I love how it turned out. This DIY stone fireplace makeover made a huge different in my friend’s home as he was getting ready to list his house. The before and after is amazing!
When my friend asked for help to with a stone fireplace makeover, we talked about a lot of options: limewash it, paint it, or German Schmear it. I wanted to preserve the original sandstone as part of the original house if we could.
Cleaning the stone knocked off a lot of dust and dead moss, but some of the stones wouldn’t scrub clean. It looked uneven. So I knew it needed more than just a cleaning.
We decided to take this fireplace renovation one step a time, starting with refreshing and filing in the grout between the stones.
Here’s what it looked like after a good cleaning and day of over-grouting:
Although I was hopeful about over-grouting (or German Schmearing), something about it was just… off.
Maybe it was the color of the stone and the grout.
Maybe it was the size of the stone.
There definitely wasn’t enough grout between the stones, but even so, it just wasn’t giving us the look we wanted.
At this point, we decided to go a different direction and paint it instead. We didn’t take this decision lightly! I was worried we’d lose a lot of texture and depth if we painted the fireplace, but it ultimately felt like the right decision for this modern house.
The walls in this room are Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore, a warm white color. We opted for a neutral color for the fireplace to keep it feeling modern, bright, and California Coastal in the room. Which made picking a color really difficult!
A bright white would make the walls look too yellow/white. Anything darker looked too dark for the style we were trying to hit.
We ended up picking Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore, another warm, slightly gray white.
It was distinct enough from the Swiss Coffee walls to add some contrast, while providing a bright modern look we wanted.
All throughout the painting process, I was worried we were breaking too many design rules for fireplaces, but I stuck it out and it turned out great!
My friend knocked down the stone fireplace mantel and replaced it with a custom wood mantel that matched some ceiling beams in the kitchen right next to this room for continuity. This helped give it a more modern look too.
This stone fireplace makeover was an easy DIY project for any level of DIY’er! It made a drastic different in the look and feel of this room.
Read more:
