One of the coolest features of our house is the wood burning fireplace in the living room. It has a brick hearth and traditional white mantle. The only problem was the outdated brass fireplace insert.
I immediately knew that insert would need to go. I initially thought about buying a new one, but I came across the idea of spray painting the brass black and decided to experiment. Due to the high temperature the door comes into contact with, it’s really important to use a spray paint formulated to withstand high heat. Enter Rust-Oleum Speciality High Heat Spray Paint. You can find this product at Home Depot for about $5.
There a few other items needed for this project and you can find a complete list below:
- Rust-Oleum Speciality High Heat Spray Paint
- Steel Wool – Grade 0000
- Painter’s Tape
- Rag
- Plastic drop cloth or large old cardboard boxes
Before painting, we removed the insert and cleaned it, making sure to get rid of all the dirt and soot. This is an important step so that when you go to spray paint you’re not painting over dirt or the spray doesn’t send soot flying everywhere. Next, I made sure to lightly sand the brass with grade 0000 steel wool rough up the surface a bit. Due to the brass being so smooth, roughing up the surface gives it some grip so the paint has something to adhere to. After sanding, I wiped the insert down, removing all dust to give me a nice clean surface ready for painting.
I used painter’s tape to tape off the glass panes then did three coats of the paint. A note about the finish of this spray paint. The can itself does not indicate a finish, however the Home Depot website lists the finish as Satin. I bought my can in-store not registering that I didn’t know the finish. It was not until after the spray paint dried that I noticed the finish was very, very flat. I would almost describe it as matte. This threw me off initially, but it grew on me and now I think it suits the space really well. Here is how it turned out:
I love how modern and updated it looks now. I’m thinking about white washing the brick to give the fireplace even more of a facelift.
Has anyone tried this with their fireplace? What do you think?