Before & After: Fireplace Fix That Was Almost a Fail
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(Image credit: Kelly)
Kelly’s new home was trapped in the 80s; In the family room, the fireplace stuck out— literally. As you can see, there were two protruding brick supports that perhaps once held a mantel. When Kelly decided to get rid of them and update its look, she made it worse before it got better. But get better it did—much better.
(Image credit: Kelly)
Can we also talk about that bold choice to hang art under the window?? Loving it!
From Kelly:
After we purchased our new home we didn’t have much money left over for renovations. There was nothing terribly wrong with the space, it was just dark and dated and depressing. All the walls were white and the 1980s original brick/trim ran throughout the house. The fireplace was a big focal point in the family room and I hated it. It was dark brown and there were two sections of bricks jutting out from it, like where a mantle was sitting at one time.I knew that if I wanted to brighten up the room and add some life to it, that I needed to update the fireplace. So I went to Home Depot and bought a brick chisel and some paint. I spent the next 2-3 hours breaking off those pieces of brick that were poking out of the fireplace. It wasn’t difficult at all, you just tap the mortar and it eventually breaks off. What I didn’t think about at the time, was that the bricks wouldn’t be smooth or whole when I was done. I had just basically made it look worse. Ugh! Now, I had to hire a mason to dig out and lay some new bricks in those holes. It took him about 2 hours and cost me $120.
After that, I painted all the bricks white. Almost immediately the fireplace started to blend in with the rest of the room. The room looked bigger and brighter and a million times better. Then I painted the other walls in the room a medium gray and added some modern furniture. Now I love living in the space. And every time I look at the fireplace I smile.
In the end, I think the whole project cost about $200-$250.
Thank you Kelly!