Painting an Old Red Brick Fireplace Black | Before and After

The red brick fireplace in our basement was weathered, worn and just felt very dated. As part of our basement renovation I had a vision of painting the brick a warm black to give it a modern, bold and dramatic face lift. After painting the stone fireplace in our upstairs living room a dark grey wash, I fell in love with the contrast and warmth it brought to the space. With that being said I had zero hesitation in painting the brick fireplace in the basement an even darker color.

The Before

Before I started painting, I prepped the brick by vacuuming all of the dust, cob webs and debris with a Shop Vac. I also wiped down the hearth with a wet rag to remove any loose ash and soot so the paint could adhere properly. I didn’t lay a drop cloth down because I didn’t care about the flooring that was about to be covered up anyways, but I would strongly advise you take that additional step to protect your flooring – paint will find a way on it!

I started in the upper left corner and worked my way down and over, working the paint brush in all of the grout lines and crevasses. It was a bit tedious and took some time, but I just turned on some Pink Floyd and got into a rhythm that made it a very painless project to complete. I found it so satisfying covering up the old brick with a fresh coat of paint that brought new life into this dated fireplace.

The paint I used was Onyx by Benjamin Moore, a very neutral and warm charcoal black. I used a matte sheen on the fireplace, which is a more washable flat. I didn’t want any shine, but wanted to have the ability to use a rag to wipe off any ash and soot on the hearth since we have a wood burning stove. The matte sheen is very similar to flat as it has no gloss to it, but it has a slightly higher durability.

Closeup view of black painted brick fireplace and mantle

I love how the black transformed this old brick fireplace and modernized it to fit into the rest of our space. This was a quick and easy project, taking only a few hours of time to complete and it made a huge impact!

The After

If you are contemplating doing something like this in your space like I was, I hope this brings you some inspiration or the push you need to go for it! I’m so happy I did and love the refreshed look of my fireplace. It is now the focal point in our basement living area and really pops and draws your eyes in – I love it!