For homeowners considering house painting in Pleasanton, there are things around the house whose look may need to be updated. Some homes have an old red brick fireplace. You may want to change it to look different. Sure, a fireplace made of weathered red brick might look quite beautiful in a natural, antiquated way. But you may be getting tired of the old look and want to update its appearance by just painting over it.
Here are some of the reasons why your old red brick needs a total makeover:
1. Your old bricks have become ugly
If all fireplaces were as pretty as the one you dreamed them to be, then there’s no need to paint them. But the truth is, many fireplaces just look unappealing and outdated, even some made with high-quality bricks. It’s time that your brick fireplace should go with the times, and paint will help modernize its look. Using the right painting techniques, your fireplace’s renewed look will greatly affect the overall style and ambiance of your room.
2. Bricks that have become discolored or been repaired with replacement bricks
Over time, the bricks on your fireplace have lost their appeal with replaced bricks or patched mortar. Replaced or repaired bricks may not match the look of the rest of the original bricks which makes them visually unattractive. Even if you made the effort to match the newly repaired brick with the original, the replaced brick would still be obvious.
Even cleaning your fireplace will greatly affect its overall appearance. Removing all the toughest dust, soot and residue from the fireplace requires using harsh and caustic chemicals, in addition to laborious scrubbing. As a result, the look of your red brick fireplace will change tremendously, and it’s often for the worse. Cleaning may remove the exposed outer layer of the brick.
Painting over your fireplace’s surface disparities will give your fireplace a more unified look. Use a high-quality base coat of paint that also has the ability to seal the brick and protect your fireplace from further damage.
3. Removing, covering or improving an existing paint job
You think that removing your fireplace’s existing paint is the easiest thing to do, but once you actually start, it can be really inconvenient and burdensome. Besides, removing existing paint is messy, expensive, and even risky. Removing existing paint requires the use of solvents and toxic chemicals that are potentially harmful to you, your family, and your pets.
Sandblasting (or abrasive blasting) is generally used outdoors and therefore is not recommended for cleaning your brick fireplace inside your house. It can even leave extensive damage on bricks, or at least leave an uneven appearance which you will correct later by painting anyway. Cleaning your brick fireplace with a wire brush can take weeks or even months. And after the cleaning is finished, your fireplace may become more damaged or look awful.
If you want to replace the entire red brick cover of your fireplace with a more expensive material such as marble or granite, it will certainly cost you a good amount. Not only that, you will have to pay the contractor’s fees. It is also time-consuming, and very inconvenient, leaving your contractor to do the heavy demolition and installation work.
You can avoid those inconveniences by simply covering your brick fireplace with just a fresh coat of paint. You can use a color of paint that will create a harmonized, unified look with the rest of your home decor.
Before you begin painting, you will want to prepare the bricks. Light scrubbing, sanding, and using natural cleaning solvents – vinegar and water will do – will remove all the dust, soot, and grime from the bricks. For better paint adhesion, use a quality latex tinted primer which is suitable for bricks.
A fireplace is what makes families gather together for warmth and comfort especially during the cold months. If you feel your old, red brick deserves a makeover without having to break the bank, or experience any inconveniences, a new coat of paint may be what’s needed. It will freshen up and modernize the look of your old, red brick fireplace when house painting in Pleasanton.
