Guest Post! Another Fabulous Fireplace Redo

Sorry folks, the Half Assed Decorator had a family emergency two weeks ago, and things have been really nuts around here, which means I haven't had time to write.  Luckily, in the midst of this, a friend redid her mantel with a gorgeous faux finish glaze, and I was so impressed, I begged her to write it up for all of you to enjoy.  She was kind enough to do so, and I'm hoping she might be inspired to write another one for us in the near future to show off her amazing wine bottle light fixtures.

Lynn has a bold sense of style, and I was blown away by what she's done with her place in the short time she's been there.  Enjoy!

We have been slowly renovating our home, which we purchased as a short sale foreclosure about a year ago. What buying a home in this situation often means is that it is in very bad shape. Our home was no exception.

There was only one room painted when we moved in, all the rest were still builder beige, and most of the walls showed signs of having never been cleaned in a decade of hard living. Oh the stories these walls could tell. We know only hints of the home’s history, provided in hushed tones by disapproving neighbors.

We painted the family room shortly after moving in, because the beige was mind numbing. Big improvement. Whether you care for our dark color choices or not, it’s an improvement over the beigy beigeness that was dominating the entire downstairs.

We thought it looked great, were happy with it. But something felt slightly off, and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Then, along came a photo on my FaceBook live feed. My sister in law’s sister posted a photo of her adorable daughter, posing in front of their mantle. They had a similar cast concrete, fakey stone mantle. But theirs was no longer glaringly white. It was a lovely brown finish. I immediately shot her a message, to find out how it was done.

Pretty simple really. One quart of base color paint, in our case, four shades lighter than our wall color, one quart of glaze, one quart of the wall color (only because we used it all up, and needed more for touch up).

First step, clean the mantle thoroughly.

Next, mask off the walls and fireplace surround with painter’s tape, and apply the base coat. We let it dry overnight, and didn’t worry about a few white bits showing through where deep pock marks were.

The next day, we cut up an old tshirt, and mixed up the glaze. One part dark brown paint, four parts glaze.

Ball up the scrap of t-shirt, and dip it in, pat off excess, and dab it onto the surface. Mash the ball of t-shirt around in the general area, and play around with the glaze until you get a look that appeals to you. When you mess up, wipe some off, and try again, or go over it with a second coat later.

Not sure if this is half assed, but it sure was super inexpensive. We spent roughly $45 on the mantle redo, and could have done it even cheaper, if we’d used the leftover wall paint, because it only took about 3 ounces of that color out of the quart we purchased. So really, the project should price out at under $30.

We ended up with a faux finish that doesn’t necessarily look like stone or marble, but certainly looks better than the glaring white we started with. At least WE think so, and frankly, isn’t that what decorating is about? Making your home appealing to the people who live in it…at least that’s how we see it. 

Well done, Lynn!  I can't wait to try this project!