please, don't paint it.

I don't know about painting slate, but removing the fireplace insert and tiling that over with white subway tile would look brighten it, and the white contrast with the slate could look great. That's what I'm doing at my place. :)

The all you need is some hardie backer board, some framing to hold the backer board, white subway tile ($1.50 sq ft at HD), some tools, thinset and grount. A bit of work, but a good learning experience.

I second the tile suggestion. Really, the door bothers me more than the slate, but I don't know if you can do anything about that...

What about oiling it to make it look really pretty again? Painting it would do some irreparable damage, as anyone wanting to strip it would have a hard time getting the paint out of those great little designs.

I would scrape out the white caulk, replace it with black caulk (wet your finger to smooth it neatly), then oil the whole thing with mineral oil. You can reapply the mineral oil after two weeks, then after another month, then another few months, at increasing spans of time until you only have to do it yearly. It will look AMAZING when you're done.

I second everyone here. The slate's wonderful!

I say, go with Shelter Life Alex's suggestion.

We have the same fireplace. When we moved in it was covered in about 10 layers of paint. It took about a month to remove it all and now it looks fantastic. Don't paint it!!

i agree too!
don't paint it... it has potential with a bit of TLC

You don't even have to remove the caulk. You can tint it with aftermarket grout stain -- I did this with a slate floor that had white grout. I used a charcoal grey and a small brush and it looks great. To prep for the work I used a restorative slate cleaner. The stone came up a lovely soft black and now we get complements on the floor all the time. Painting your surround would be a mistake -- just contact a good slate floor installer to get hooked up with some restorative cleanser and some grout stain. I second the poster who said the weird door thing is the real problem.

Painting that fireplace would be a crime.

The problem is that it's not meant to be be on a white wall. If you paint that wall a really beautiful gray color (try Farrow & Ball) the fireplace will be a showstopper.

if you're looking to remove caulk, i just used this product essentially made out of citrus oil. It dissolves just about anything EXCEPT paint, which makes it awesome for using around the house (i had to rip out an old closet that was attached with Liquid Nails -- nightmare). The best part is that its made from citrus fruit, smells like oranges and not chemicals, and is all natural! I found it in a spray bottle at my hardware store.

Is that slate or soapstone? Either way, I agree with everyone above. Oil it and paint the wall. Does it get hot when the fireplace is in use? That would be another reason not to paint it.

I agree with everyone who suggests that you DON'T paint. Fix the caulking, maintain the slate, paint your wall. Do whatever it takes but PLEASE don't paint the slate. What a mistake that would be. This fireplace has the potential to be a great convesation piece.

If I were to spend any time and effort on that fireplace I would restore its original luster.

Clean the slate and have it regrouted.

I can't even believe anyone would do this! If you don't like it - please have it removed and have it sent to architectural salvage. don't ruin it. Those slate surrounds are gorgeous - sell it if you want. I also like the summer cover (sorry kakatie). I feel like painting this would be the equivalent of ripping down antique moldings and putting up fake wood panelling - remember - people thought that looked "modern" and awesome once too. On a practical front - since this is a functioning fireplace, painting it white would not be a great idea - as white gets sooty and stained very quickly.

I love it as it is! I would never paint it !!! :-)

are you crazy? we spent days removing the paint from our slate fireplace. it's so tasteless to have a painted one, unless it's plain white. and I'm pretty sure your LL would not approve.

You might be surprised at what some polish and new grout can do. Remember that fireplace was intended to be beautiful, but it only looks shabby now due to neglect.

Polish the slate with a product intended for floors. Remove the caulk and replace it with dark grout. There is actually a grate polish that will restore the dark sheen to the metal while also being fire-safe.

Those three steps will cost less than $30 and take about an hour's work and you will have restored a piece of architectural art. If it's not entirely your aesthetic, it will add character and it's authentic!

I am a landlord who welcomes repairs and updates. Your plans are neither. Please think again about the black grout and oiled finish before destroying this charming original detail. Please don't.

Ouch! You picked an apartment that doesn't reflect your sense of style - but that is no excuse to destroy what you don't understand. Please don't ruin this fireplace. If you insist on it's demise, then please carefully dismantle it and send it to me!

another vote for not painting it.

your slate just needs some cleaning and sealing (mineral oil is the finish for soapstone)...

here is a site that carries the products and explains the care:

http://www.tileshop.com/diy/mnt_slate.asp

It will look great when it is all cleaned up -- just DO NOT paint it (I can guarantee the landlord will be annoyed -- definitely not pleased!

You may be allowed to do this, but that doesn't mean you should. If you want to put work into your place, the recommendations for restoring the slate are excellent. I think that painting would essentially ruin an amenity and, since it's not a place you own, you really shouldn't do that. I agree with the comment about the style of your apartment versus your personal style but, if you like your place otherwise, you can certainly work with one feature that you don't particularly like. I also think you'd be surprised at how much better it would look when brought back to its original surface quality.

OK, OK!! I promise I won't paint it. It just really dominates my small living room and looks terribly dirty and crumbly, despite numerous cleanings. I wasn't sure how best to make it look nice. I'll go out and get some mineral oil and get to work.

BTW, the summer cover is only on it right now because I still need to clean out this year's ashes. Usually we keep it off.

Good suggestion about the gray wall. I've been thinking about a soft gray for awhile now--it will look great with a nice shiny fireplace.

I also agree with the others who say to not paint the slate - you will probably not be happy with the outcome if you do. It would be best to re-grout (white, NOT black), and then paint the wall a complementing color, or pale grey. You will probably like it more once it's cleaned up and blending in more with the space, rather then sticking out like a sore thumb.

I was late to this thread which led to a thrilling, dramatic reading experience. The fireplace is saved! I rarely see this happen, but it would be so great if you'd send in after pics as a fitting post-script.

I am so glad you decided to not paint this... I am usually one who loves to slap a coat of paint on things like brick or even woodwork (but not all brick or all woodwork), but this would have been a design crime that could not be reversed.

Yay! You're not painting! Well, I agree about the grey wall, because a landlord probably wouldn't like anything bolder, and I wouldn't want you to use a beige he would otherwise probably be OK with.

Honestly I don't think that's Art Deco carving, I think it reminds me of the work of late-Victorian Christopher Dresser whose style was about the same time and maybe a few minutes before the Craftsman stuff, and which some of his stuff actually does look Art Deco-ish. It also reminds me of the Eastlake style, which was started by someone named Eastlake, but which kind of took on a live of its own.

If anything, I would try to find some little hinged can light and put it right in front of the fireplace and shine it upward in the direction of the design so the light could create some shadows and show off that little design. No, really. I'm serious. There is something so very, very 15 minutes from now about that grey. I kind of agree that it might be soapstone, which is the same thing that chemistry lab counters used to be made of.

Well, this is funny. I have virtually the same fireplace surrounds in three rooms in my house (which, incidentally, dates to the late 1880's -- these carvings are not Art Deco).

They are slate, and they are painted. You can see them in my house tour.

Now, bear in mind that they were already painted (several layers) when I bought the house. I opted not to strip them for the same reason that I didn't strip the Victorian wood moulding throughout the house -- I prefer ornate details to recede. I sanded down the rough spots, and painted them the same color as the trim.

I'm not sure what I would have done if they had never been painted, but I have a feeling I would have clenaed them up and oiled them (and loved them) just as so many others here are encouraging you to do.

In fact, your photo is giving me bit of fireplace envy, and it's actually kind of making me want to strip the paint off of mine! Perhaps 10 years from now when I have some free time, I'll give it a shot. ;)

Curtis is right, those carvings are Eastlake-style Victorian from the late 1800's. I have the same type of mantles but in a green colored slate and I love them!

I just thought it was Deco because my building was built in 1931. Anyway! I will send pictures after I finish oiling and redoing the caulk.

Oooh, I'd love to see an update with photos of this fireplace. I'm glad folks were able to talk you out of painting that slate! I'm not 100% opposed to painting brick or other architectural features, but this really would have been a shame to paint.

Please let us see the after-photos! :D