Facelift for an Outdated Fireplace

You’ve just achieved your crowing glory—a newly remodeled living room complete with fresh paint, new flooring, and updated furnishings. Now, if only you could figure out what to do about that ugly fireplace that sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s dark, it’s gloomy, there’s nothing “retro” or “classic” about it—it’s just outdated.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. A lot of do-it-yourselfers are plagued by unattractive fireplaces they feel helpless to improve without spending a lot of cash. Similar to shag carpeting or gold appliances, brick fireplaces often look more like a relic of the past than the focal point of the living room. But removing or replacing the fireplace isn’t an option, and fireplace refacing or remodeling can get expensive.
 
The good news is that there are cost-effective fireplace makeover options that will transform your room without breaking the bank. While previous fireplace remodeling techniques required the services of a contractor, new products have been introduced that give home owners with varying levels of technical expertise the opportunity to dramatically change the look of a room completely on their own.

When it comes to creating a fireplace that reflects your personal decorating style and taste, there are a variety of options. The old standards are still available, of course, including completely tearing out a fireplace or completely re-surfacing it with a new material like brick, tile or stone. But you can also choose to give your fireplace a facelift using a special fireplace brick paint that preserves the look and texture of real brick. Unlike common paints and techniques that lose the character and distinction of real brick, new brick paint applications maintain the texture of brick while updating its visual appeal with a light, modern color. This cost-effective process can be used on any color of brick—even brick that has been painted before—to modernize outdated brick in a matter of hours.

This quick, easy, and economical approach restores the fireplace as the center of attention in any room, making it a warm and inviting place for families and friends to gather. Once complete, nothing provides a sense of satisfaction like a newly remodeled fireplace that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come. (See what homeowners who remodeled their own fireplaces had to say.)

A clean, light-colored fireplace will change the face of a room and bring your home and your feelings back to the present. Remodeling your fireplace allows you to concentrate on the future, and to forget dreading your passé home interior!