1. Level it (the mantle had settled quite a bit. I have no idea how the previous owner's stuff didn't slide right off it)
2. Paint it (the natural wood against the brick did nothing for the mantle)
The before (with the previous owner's things):
After painting everything, Brent put the pieces back in with shims and then mortered it. It was his first morter job, and I think he did great. Oh, and morter totally smells like chocolate milkshake. Then we let the morter dry for several days.
The result:
I am really happy with how it turned out.
Next fireplace project: Spraying the screen. I'm not sure whether to do it black or silver though. I think I'm leaning toward black though.
I really want to spray paint our fireplace cover as well, and keep going back between black and silver. But I don't want shiny silver, I want more of the brushed nickel look, and haven't found a spray paint that fits that bill. Also I'm afraid to spray paint inside (the fumes, uggh). So I'll let you experiment first, then maybe I'll be brave enough! ;)
ReplyDeleteI would definitely go with black. We dont have a screen like yours, just the mesh curtain deal, but it is black and pretty much just fades away.
ReplyDeleteI had a screen like that and ended up taking it off, because I was afraid of the combination of the spray paint and extremely high heat. I ended up buying a removable screen and love it, because I fill the fireplace with logs of wood or candles in the off-season. If you want to try to remove it, there should be screws on the inside corners--it's really easy.
ReplyDeleteI love it! I agree with the black. :)
ReplyDeleteDayka – As long as you used a spray paint made for high temperatures, you are good to go. :)
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