Painting Your Fireplace: Should You Do It?
Fireplaces are welcome additions to any home. Usually located in the living room or den, a fireplace brings a room together, providing a central location for people to gather and relax. In addition to their aesthetic value, these features also provide a room with some extra heat and light. If you purchase a home with a fireplace and chimney already installed, consider yourself lucky. That being said, you might not be thrilled with how your fireplace looks.
Fireplaces vary in size, shape, and composition, and some are older than others. If you want to keep your fireplace but also want to update its look, you might think about painting it. Before you get started or hire Raleigh house painters, however, there are a few things to keep in mind when painting your fireplace.
What’s it Made Of?
Most fireplaces are surrounded by brick. However, you’ll also find fireplaces composed of steel, concrete, stone, tile, and, believe it or not, even wood. Each of these materials has its own unique aesthetic both before and after being painted, and will also determine the type of paint and method you use.
For instance, painting brick and concrete requires a bit more effort than painting wood, mostly due to how porous those materials are. Some Raleigh house painting pros might suggest you stain your brick fireplace rather than paint it. Of course, if you want your fireplace to be a solid color, only paint can achieve this look.
Spatial Considerations
As you might know, fireplaces can also vary greatly in their shape, size, and configuration. One home might have a small fireplace that takes up one-third of the wall or less, while another home might dedicate an entire wall to its fireplace. Whether or not you decide to paint your fireplace will partly depend on these factors as well.
If you have a large fireplace and it’s the main feature of a room, you might think of it as you would any other interior wall. In other words, painting the room but neglecting to paint your large fireplace might make it appear out of place. Of course, this depends on your interior design preferences and whether or not the fireplace creates an appealing contrast.
Smaller fireplaces, on the other hand, might not require as much painting, if any. A well-maintained brick fireplace, for instance, will look great in almost any interior space. If you like the look of natural brick but still want to protect your fireplace, consider staining it.
Maybe It’s Not Your Fireplace That Needs Painting
Before you decide to paint your fireplace, take a look at the room as a whole. You might realize that the reason your fireplace doesn’t mesh well actually has to do with the walls around it. It might be time to hire a Raleigh painting service to revamp your walls and/or ceiling, and leave the fireplace itself alone.
If you’re not sure what’s causing the problem, it might help to utilize an online color visualizer tool. You can snap a picture of your room and see in virtual space how different wall colors would look. As you play around with various colors, you might realize that your fireplace would look a lot better if the rest of the room were a different color. You might even consider painting a room two colors to construct a color scheme that complements your fireplace.
So, Should You Paint Your Fireplace?
In the end, if you want to paint your fireplace, no one is stopping you. In fact, painting your fireplace might make a lot of sense and really enhance your interior space if done well. Just remember that its composition, size, and shape will play a role in how you go about it. And, don’t neglect the rest of the room. You might simply need to repaint your walls or redesign your space a bit.
If you need help or advice on painting your fireplace or interior spaces, Anderson Painting contractors have the experience and knowledge to transform your home. To learn more about us and all our services, call Anderson Painting today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
