I didn’t love the look of the stone fireplace in our living room, but didn’t want to go through the trouble of removing it all and starting over. After recently renovating the entire fireplace in our master bedroom, I wanted an easier solution. I didn’t mind the shape of the stone and liked that it went all the way to the ceiling, I just wasn’t crazy about the color. There were variations of tans, browns, grays and almost pink colored stones throughout the fireplace and hearth. It just felt very dated and didn’t fit in with my style. I contemplated different options to give it a more modern and updated aesthetic, but kept coming back to the idea of painting it a dark grey. Of course I was a little apprehensive knowing this would be a bold move and once I touched paint to stone there was no going back!
The Before
After a lot of contemplating and overthinking, one weekend I got the urge to just go for it. I mixed up my paint, got some rags and brushes, poured myself a glass of wine and got after it! Not going to lie, after I painted that first corner of the fireplace I was asking myself if I had made a huge mistake and wondering how upset my husband was going to be with me when he got home. But the more area I covered the more I liked it, and by the end I knew I had made the right decision – and don’t worry he loved it too!
I wanted a natural look, so I used a 50/50 mixture of water and paint. I chose the color Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore in a flat finish, which is a dark charcoal grey with warm undertones. I made sure it was mixed well before dipping my paint brush and applying it to the stone. I started in the upper right corner and worked my way in, covering all the stones and in between the cracks. I would then take my rag and blot the stones of any excess paint. This allowed some of the stone details to show through the color which I really liked. If I blotted away too much of the wash I would just reapply with my brush and play around with it until I got the desired look.
I made my way through all the stones, painting section by section until the entire fireplace and hearth were covered in the wash mixture to my liking. I let it cure over night and then I added the reclaimed barnwood mantle cap over the existing stone shelf. I had it custom made to fit the dimensions and it worked out perfectly. I love the combination of the dark grey stone and the warm tone of the barnwood, they really compliment each other nicely just as I had envisioned.
It was so rewarding to see my vision of this fireplace came to life and this was the perfect refresh it needed to fit the space! This was a quick and easy project, taking only a few hours of time to complete and it made a huge impact! I love how the dark grey wash gave it some bold color and new life, while still allowing some of the natural beauty of the stone show through. It doesn’t look like it was just painted on and feels very authentic.
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 living area and really pops and draws your eyes in – I love it!
Materials I Used:
- 50/50 mixture of water + Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore (flat finish)
- Mixing container
- Stirring stick
- Paint brush
- Rags
- Drop cloth
Thanks for your support and following along in this project! I hope you found it useful or it sparked some inspiration in your own home.
Xoxo,
