How to Paint a Rustic Fireplace

While you could use a commercial masonry paint to cover over a stone or brick fireplace, whitewashing is another alternative. Made of lime and salt, whitewash is nontoxic and long lasting. You can control the opacity of a whitewashed surface by adjusting the thickness of the application, resulting in a rustic-looking fireplace. You can give your whitewashed fireplace an even more antique appearance by adding some charcoal dust to your mixed ingredients.

Plastic sheeting
Masking tape
Respirator
Ivory-hydrated lime
Table salt
Bucket
Stir stick
Charcoal dust (optional)
Sponge
Wide paintbrush
Rag

Instructions

- 1
  Place plastic sheets on the floor under the fireplace. Tape a strip of plastic sheeting to the walls along the fireplace.
- 2
  Put on a respirator when handling and mixing dry, powdered ingredients. Mix 5 parts lime to 1 part salt by weight in a large bucket. Start out mixing small amounts. You can always mix more as you need it.
- 3
  Add water and stir the mixture. Add small amounts of water until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. Mix in charcoal dust if you want a duller-looking whitewash. Let the whitewash sit overnight.
- 4
  Wipe the fireplace with a damp sponge. The lime in whitewash penetrates more deeply if the stone or brick is slightly damp.
- 5
  Brush the whitewash onto the fireplace. Vary the amount of whitewash applied to each stone or brick to produce a varied effect.
- 6
  Let the lime in the whitewash begin to bond with the surface of the fireplace. Remove additional whitewash with a damp rag to increase the rustic look. The lime will continue to soak in over the next few days. Wipe off more whitewash if desired.

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