U-G-L-Y you aint got no alibi, you UGLY!
I cannot stress enough how much I hated my fireplace. This nonsense could not have been acceptable even in the 80s. I remember the 80s, and while much is now looked back on as a nightmare, I know this could not have been loved even back then.
And since I don’t live in the woods, wear plaid, and chop my own firewood in the afternoons, I was resolved to change it.
With a laundry list of upgrades I want to happen in my home, spending THOUSANDS to demo and drywall this corner wasn’t happening anytime soon. I figured anything I do literally can’t make it any uglier, so let’s try painting it.
I met the folks of Jolie Paint while attending Altitude Summit this year and all the features of their gorgeous paints got me thinking that maybe using their matte finish paint would be the way to go. See if you’re gonna paint stone, it should look like it’s still stone and not have a glossy latex shine to it that screams CHEAP RE-DO!
They sent me some paint to try out, so armed with the Palace White color in hand we went at this.
Jolie Paint is water-based, non-toxic, and extremely low VOC. Made from the highest quality ingredients, Jolie Paint offers superior coverage and requires little to no prep on almost any surface.
First the hideous cherry mantle was sanded and primed with a white primer. Then it was painted with a matte finish paint by my painter friend using a sprayer because I didn’t want to risk not covering that convoluted moulding properly myself.
For the stone, I used said sprayer and loaded it with the Jolie Paint in Palace White. No primer, just aimed and sprayed. Went on like a DREAM! Once it dried for a few hours, we hit it again (since stone is pretty porous, and this one had some real dark pieces) and used a brush to stipple into any grooves that stood out.
Legit, it could not have been easier, the hearth area is also painted with the Jolie paint and it has a matte chalky stone feel, with no transferring and no scratching.
I couldn’t be any happier with how this turned out, a couple trips to Home Goods, and now this thing is 2019 sexy. I can’t wait to use their paint to refinish other pieces in my house (I see you Espresso wood console).
If you have an eyesore you’d like to transform just pull the trigger and do it!! Comment below if you have any questions, let me know what you think!
RESOURCES:
-Lamps & basket from Home Goods
–Round Brass Mirror from Target
-Artwork, custom
Enjoy!
Courney
March 31, 2022 2:18 pm
Hi jo! Did you have to use a primer before putting on the paint?
Jo
October 20, 2022 10:46 am
HI there! Actually not on the stone, we did spray primer on the mantle before painting it, but for the stone we just used the Jolie Paint. It doesn’t get much traffic in terms of anyone touching it so if your situation is different you may want to start with primer.
Marilyn
June 1, 2021 6:40 am
Our fireplace has the same hideous stone and I’d love to update it. However we use our fireplace often in the winter and I’m concerned with the hearth paint scratching and looking worse than it does now w the natural stone. What do you suggest
Jo
October 20, 2022 10:48 am
Well we dont use our fireplace very often, we dont have issues with the paint really scratching off but I would be concerned with maybe smoke? I would check your stone to see if you currently get buildup on the stone after you use it to see if this will be an issue for you later. I figured cleaning and touching up the paint from time to time is a small price to pay for the drastic difference this has made in my space!
Valerie McRoberts
May 11, 2021 1:27 pm
Love the transformation!!! Can you please tell me how much paint the fireplace took. Ours looks to be about the same size and want to try this on ours!
Jo
October 20, 2022 10:48 am
I would say it took about 2 quarts of paint total.
Jasmine
March 11, 2021 5:50 pm
Couple questions… did you tint your mortar prior to painting? And how many gallons did you end up using?
Jo
October 20, 2022 10:49 am
Nope didnt do anything to the mortar, just painted over everything with 2 coats. We used about 2 quarts of paint since we were using a sprayer.
Jacqui
February 9, 2021 5:21 pm
Our first home hadba similar fireplace as yours. I have to say it was the reason I fell in love with the house. The white looks fresh and pretty but I love the rustic look of the brown stone. Wish I could post a picture it looks so much like yours.
Jo
February 10, 2021 11:43 am
A lot of homes from a certain time period has stones like this. The dark look just didn’t work with my decor style, but glad you like yours!
Kate
February 6, 2021 11:02 am
Hi! Sorry for the late comment. We have a virtually identical fireplace, right down to those red flat stones on the hearth. Two major differences — it doesn’t extend above the mantle (thankfully), and the construction and rocks looked better on yours! Believe it or not I think ours is even UGLIER with jagged rock and wide expanses of poorly slapped in concrete between them!
I’ve never liked paint on rock or even brick, and all the other paint jobs on similar fireplaces I’ve seen have looked unattractive to me. Your bright flat white looks great! I have a new project now! I kind of want to do something different with the flat stones on the hearth (which are also on the floor around the fireplace like tile). Either paint it a different color, or tile over it. What do you think?
Jo
February 10, 2021 11:44 am
I would probably lean more towards trying tile on the hearth versus paint pin another color. The tile would be a great touch!
Wendy Robertson
January 24, 2021 5:21 pm
Good Evening,
Will you please let me know the color of your walls you did with the white fireplace. I have been trying to find the color that is close to what you used and I am not finding it.
Jo
February 10, 2021 11:45 am
I recall it being called “Gallery Taupe” from Behr. We had purchased from Home Depot 10 years ago!
Connie
January 2, 2021 8:52 pm
Hi!
I like the transformation. Will the Jolie paint cover granite?
Jo
January 18, 2021 10:21 am
Hi there. You know I’ve never tried it on granite, but its worth shooting them an email to check. I would imagine a smooth stone surface wouldn’t be able to hold the paint (it would scratch off).
Mary
December 18, 2020 9:17 am
Can you do it on faux stone?
Jo
January 18, 2021 10:22 am
Hi Mary- I think its depends on the material its made out of. Slick and shiny surfaces probably wouldn’t hold up, but if its a matte surface or even better slightly porous it could work.
Danielle
December 14, 2020 10:08 pm
We have a behemoth fireplace like this plus another four feet width of stone and raised hearth to the left with a white mantle about 3 feet up where the stone stops (painted wood paneling goes up to the ceiling – this was a full on 60’s/70’s room with orange shag carpet and drapes and a wagon wheel light fixture in 2000 – kinda thinking we should have kept the wagon wheel 🙂). We have a beautiful stained pine tongue and groove cathedral ceiling. The beams and all other trim in the room are painted in Swiss coffee. Do you think I should be trying to match the Swiss coffee if we paint the stone white? The walls are currently a pale creamy yellow but they need a refresh. I’m a bit nervous to paint ours because the some of the stones are a bit more 3D than most of the painted fireplace projects I have seen. Do you think it could still look good?
Jo
January 18, 2021 10:25 am
If all your trim is in the Swiss coffee (and you’re happy with it) I would try to match it. Since Swiss coffee tends to be a slightly yellowish white, painting a more neutral or stark white next to it would make it look dingy. As far was Jolie paints are concerned you may need to check out their catalog to see if there is a match. Otherwise, I would just get a very flat paint matched to your trim color at the hardware store if you can’t find a tentacle chalk paint.
Bri
November 14, 2020 2:24 am
Hi there, LOVE this so much. You’ve inspired me to do it to ours! I was wondering if you have a pic that shows more of the color of the walls surrounding it? I’ve been wanting to do a white fireplace, but we have white walls so debating which color. Thank you!
Jo
November 18, 2020 8:38 am
Hi there Bri- So happy I inspired you to redo your fireplace too! There is a pic in the post where you can see my wall color next the fireplace, my walls are painted a taupe-grey color. I think if you have white walls you should be fine with using the Jolie Palace white so long as your walls are a true white and not an off-white color (like Swiss coffee).
Amber
November 4, 2020 4:05 pm
Do you think it’s possible to do this without a paint sprayer? My husband is totally for tackling this project for our similar fireplace, but neither of us really want to drop money on a paint sprayer that we’ll only use once!
Jo
November 9, 2020 8:01 am
Hi Amber- Yes of course it is doable without a sprayer, but will likely take much much longer depending on your stone type. You will have to pounce the paint into the stone to get into all the grooves, and probably do a few coats as well. If you want to rethink the sprayer, you can grab this one from Amazon fairly cheap: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VKFDEO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and chalk it up to part of your materials cost. Even with the sprayer, you’ll save hundreds over having someone else do it.
Ainsley Miller
February 1, 2021 9:48 am
Lots of home improvement stores like Home Depot will rent the sprayer. Maybe look I to renting instead of buying a sprayer.
Jo
February 10, 2021 11:44 am
Absolutely– and the rented ones are much more powerful
Gia Brown
October 23, 2020 6:11 pm
Hello!
Did you paint the mantle as well using the same paint?
Jo
October 29, 2020 2:34 pm
Hi there, I actually used the Benjamin Moore Decorator White paint for the mantle so it would match the remaining moulding in my house. However it was a perfect match to the Jolie paint! I went this route since we covering a dark mantle that would receive more traffic.
Val Landrum
September 18, 2020 2:30 am
Love the transformation! My fireplace is similar. The stone stops at mantle and I’m always complaining about how dark it is in the corner but nervous to paint the stone.
Jo
September 21, 2020 8:04 am
Do it! I lived with a fireplace I hated for YEARS, and as a major focal point you should be happy with with it. I figured “it can’t get uglier” so don’t be nervous and go for it.
Kellie R
August 26, 2020 11:57 am
Maybe this is a silly question – but are there any concerns with this paint with having a fire in your fireplace?
Jo
August 30, 2020 2:41 pm
Hi Kellie- great question.
I checked their data safety sheets on the Jolie Home website and it had a rating of 0 under flammability. You can check these sheets yourself as well
: https://joliehome.com/pages/safety-data-sheets . I would assume that since the flammability rating is 0, and its on the outside of your fireplace it shouldn’t pose a hazard.But it would depend on your particular fireplace of course. My firebox is metal on the exterior and has a metal screen.
Des
August 6, 2020 11:51 pm
Hi! What paint sprayer do you use?
Love this makeover, it looks amaZing.
Jo
August 17, 2020 2:08 pm
Hi there, I have the following sprayer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VKFDEO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Not a heavy duty one, but gets the job done.
Melanie
July 31, 2020 2:14 pm
All I can say is WOW!!! I have the same stone fireplace, but the stone fills the whole wall. It’s an older home and I think that rock style became popular in the 60’s…YUK!! We’ve owned the home for 17 years and are finally retiring to it. Both my hubby and I have always hated it. Thanks for the great idea and listing the products. It looks so fresh and bright!! Well done!!
Jo
August 17, 2020 2:07 pm
Absolutely, it can change that whole room! Now when I see old photos with the fireplace before I painted it, I cringe thinking how long I lived with that!
Sarah
June 8, 2020 6:21 pm
Is there a particular nozzle I should choose for the paint sprayer? Thank you for sharing and inspiring.
Jo
June 11, 2020 12:06 pm
Hi Sarah, my paint sprayer didnt come with nozzle attachments although the nozzle itself was adjustable to alter the spray pattern. You’ll want it to give you the widest setting when spraying.
Sharon
June 5, 2020 8:30 pm
I wonder if I could do this with a brush instead if sprayer? Do you think it would’ve taken more paint?
Jo
June 7, 2020 5:35 pm
It could totally be done with a brush, it just would take more time since you’d almost have to pounce it in. I did have to use a brush to fill in deeper areas, but because it’s such an uneven and textured surface I think a sprayer is easier. This paint is so versatile, even though I overbought bit, I can use it to paint almost anything in my house.
Carla
June 4, 2020 2:46 pm
Hi Jo! I love your fireplace transformation! Great job! Did you use clear finishing wax after o not?
Jo
June 5, 2020 1:04 pm
Hey there thank you! Nope didnt seal it with anything as it doesn’t get much traffic on it. I did notice when I tried cleaning up a spot where my kids stepped on my fireplace and left a mark that I rubbed off some paint with my scrubbing. So if you think it will get some traffic then clear finishing wax on the hearth area may be a good idea.
Cheryl B Henry
August 15, 2020 9:04 am
Hi, you did not mention cleaning it before you painted. Did you have to do that?
Jo
August 17, 2020 2:09 pm
I did not clean it before considering we actually have never used the fireplace. If your fireplace stone has soot on it, definitely use a soot remover to clean prior.
robin edghill
May 22, 2020 12:16 am
Looks fantastic. What prep work did you do to the stone prior to painting?
Jo
June 5, 2020 1:02 pm
Honestly I didnt do much since we’ve never really turned our fireplace on! If you have soot or dirt from your fireplace you probably definitely want to try and clean that off. But I didnt prep the stone really, it just took a few coats to block all those dark colors.
Kara
May 17, 2020 7:46 pm
I love how your fireplace has been transformed! I’ve been wanting to do this in my house as well. My stones are dark and the grout is nearly black (yuck!). My big question is if I should match the paint for the stone with that of the bookcases that literally run up against it. Not sure if it’ll be too much of that color? Thoughts on this? And is the Jolie paint a chalk paint? Or just matte finish?
Thanks!
Jo
June 5, 2020 1:01 pm
Hey there, yes you can see how dark my stone was plus it didnt help that they were multiple colors. You know I was worried that matching the mantle to the stone would be too much but I really like it. I do plan later in the future to maybe covering up the mantle with some solid wood pieces for squared off mantle and maybe finish in a distress driftwood tone. I think that may look good too. So depends on your bookcases, but if they are white definitely make sure to try and match as different white tones would look funky. The Jolie paint is very similar to a chalk paint, they don’t call it chalk paint since their formulation is different but that’s the best comparison.
Chrystie
May 3, 2020 8:54 am
Hi! I LOVE the transformation!! I have a similar hideous fireplace. What color white did you use for the mantle? I’m going to try and replicate 🙂
Jo
May 3, 2020 8:57 am
Hi Chrystie! For the fireplace we used Jolie Paint in Palace White, and I used Benjamin Moore Decorator White for the mantle. The Decorator white is my go to for all trim, but we got in a flat finish so it would match the Jolie Paint.
Chrystie
May 3, 2020 9:12 am
Thank you so much for your quick response!! So excited to give it a try and get this done!!
Jo
June 5, 2020 12:58 pm
Would love to see! Tag me on IG @ahappyblog if you ever post it 🙂
Bryse
March 29, 2020 2:28 pm
Hi! How much paint did you use? I have a fireplace about the same size!
Jo
April 30, 2020 9:39 am
Hi there Bryse! I’d say we used about 2 quarts. My stone was really dark and we were hitting the mantle so a couple a coats in the sprayer took 2 quarts.
Cheryl K Sokol
September 22, 2019 6:34 am
Your fireplace is beautiful! What a wonderful transformation. I am the Market Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity in Omaha. Nebraska, and the boutique area inside the Restore, called the “Market at ReStore” is the only Nebraska retailer that carries Jolie paint, waxes and accessories. I LOVE seeing what other people paint with Jolie and, thank you, for sharing your fireplace redo. I will pass your post along as it truly is an inspiration.
Jo
September 22, 2019 9:53 am
Hi Cheryl, thank you so much! Wow what a great organization. And great choice choosing to carry Jolie paints, I really was so impressed on how easily the stone took to the paint without much prep at all! Thanks for sharing this post, I would so appreciate that, and hopefully it serves as inspiration for others to renew their homes!