Fireplace DIY

Renovation

Fireplace DIY

Creating the Chippy White Fireplace

This brown fireplace just had to go. If you feel me then this is the post for you!!

My goal for this fireplace was to give the brick a vintage worn look, while keeping it clean and sleek. I chose to do a mortar smear or otherwise known as a German smear. I chose this technique over a mortar wash, because I did not like the monochromatic haze it can leave. This is a relatively easy home project, that anyone could tackle with just a little planning. To prevent many trips to the store, let’s make sure you have everything you will need!

 

  1. Drill
  2. metal attachment for mixing
  3. Mortar: white
  4. Bucket- (2) 
  5. Small trowel (see pic above)
  6. Large trowel 1/2″
  7. Rectangle mortar tray
  8. Wire bristle brush

Prepping the area from the beginning will give you the best results!

Wipe the fireplace down with water. The bricks should be a little damp before applying the mortar. (Mix the mortar in a bucket outside. Follow the directions on the bag.) Apply the mortar to the fireplace in sections of about 3′ x 3′ sections. Allow the mortar to sit on the brick for 15 to 20 minutes. When I say scrape off the mortar…. I mean scrape off the mortar. The mortar film will still give an appearance of white, if it is not all removed from the brick. I made the mistake of not scraping off enough at first, and had to go back and use Muriatic acid and a sander. 


All of the how to blogs a researched did not express enough the need to remove the mortar thoroughly from the bricks you would like to expose. Here are some of the links I used as resources. 

Jenna Sue

Renaissance Southpaw

My goal was for the fireplace to look like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AYnkYz8rOoXOpKfejoUx8RYqOVziIvjv5XbUvunv-mVLWq5L6B1jSWU/.