How to Paint a Fireplace Surround
Giving your fireplace surround a fresh coat of paint is a relatively quick and easy way to add appeal and interest to your home and turn your fireplace into a focal point.
This job is small enough to only require a day to complete, with most of the time waiting for it to dry. And for the little time it takes, this project can make a huge difference to a room's decor.
But you are likely wondering how to paint a fireplace surround. Well, in this actionable guide, we will show you how to paint your fireplace surround. No matter if your fireplace is purely decorative, or has to withstand temperatures generated by an active fire we have you covered.
Steps to Paint a Fireplace Surround
Follow this guide step by step and you will have your fireplace surround looking like new in no time.
Check the Conditions
One of the most important steps in painting a fireplace is ensuring you have the best conditions for painting.
The surface to be painted must be clean, dry, and solid and the temperature of the air and surface at least +10°C, and the relative humidity of the air below 80%.
Preparation
How you prepare your fireplace for painting will depend on if it's been previously treated or if it is a fresh unpainted surface.
Here are instructions for both situations:
Unpainted surfaces:
New concrete, screed, or plastered surfaces will need to be given time to dry and harden before they get finishing treatment. Painting before they are completely dry will affect the level of protection it offers and lead to poor adhesion of the paint.
Make sure the surface is free from dirt, dust, and other impurities. Maalipesu is perfect for this.
Previously painted surfaces:
For fireplace Surrounds that have been painted before it is important to make sure to take care of any flaking, poorly attached, or powdery paint layers. Not taking care here can cause the new layer of paint not to adhere properly and cause your newly painted surround to flake and chip.
If there is any flaking paint you will want to remove it with a flat scrapper before you get started. Use sandpaper to smooth out any hard edges left over to avoid obvious lines.
Also, just like with the unpainted version you will want to use Maalipesu to clean any dirt, dust, or imperfections away.
Paint
Now it is time to paint your fireplace surround. The process to paint fireplace surrounds is the same for both previously treated and new ones once prepared.
Here we recommend applying one coat of our Muuri Fireplace paint and letting it dry for 12 hours. You won't need to add a primer as Muuri is self-priming.