Changing a Brick Fireplace

What does one do to upgrade his/her brick fireplace? Recently, my husband and I decided we have looked at our brick fireplace long enough. When we pondered this fireplace remodel our thoughts went from going green and save the brick to yuck who wants a painted fireplace?

Please do not get me wrong, being sensitive to the environment and “going green” is a good idea. If we saved the brick, all we would need is a gallon of paint, new mantel, a few hours and we could ultimately call it a day. However, would this simple process bring both added value and enjoyment? Our goal was to improve our family room with a stunning fireplace and painting just didn’t seem the right choice.

Instead of looking at red brick, we would then be looking at white brick or whatever color we chose to paint it. When we tire of the paint, does this mean we would need to remove the paint to restore it back to the brick fireplace it once was? I have done enough home repair to know that taking paint off of brick would be a tedious, miserable and difficult job. Huge amounts of time, patience and elbow grease would be needed. So, what are some other choices?

We could cover the brick with tile, slate, marble or travertine. Great, let’s do that. Before we begin we discover that the mantel we purchased doesn’t fit our space when keeping the brick. The mantel sticks out about two inches. Not a problem, just fill in the back with a piece of wood that maybe matches the mantel. Hmmm easier said than done. No, that will never do. The brick must go.

Our final conclusion is to remove the brick ever so carefully and then see where we can reuse it somewhere else at our home or give it away to someone who needs red brick. I will keep all of you posted on this one.