Painted fireplaces update dated brick or stone and let you control the focal point’s impact – white brightens and modernizes, dark colors add drama, and colorful paint makes a statement.
Paint transforms the fireplace without the cost of refacing or rebuilding, as long as you use the right primer and heat-safe products.
1. White Fireplace with Black Shiplap
Modern fireplace builds often combine different materials around the firebox and hearth. The surround here resembles marble, while the back wall is black shiplap.
That creates a strong visual contrast with the white shelves and cabinets on either side.
via Raykon Construction
2. White Brick Fireplace
The white painted brick fireplace keeps its timeless appeal. The surround and overmantel are one piece, with the wooden mantel providing visual separation.
This flush design gives a modern feel to what’s usually a rustic feature.
via Croft Fireplace Center
3. Light Gray
A soft gray tone recedes into the background of a yellow living room. Choose a matte paint finish to highlight other decorative elements.
A clever trick that saves time and money is using chalk paint. It lets you skip stripping, sanding, or even applying a primer coat.
Chalk paint is water based, so it qualifies as a heat resistant finish.
It also covers in one coat, making a paint roller an effective tool. Larger containers of chalk paint are available at major home improvement stores.
via Our Town Plans
4. Black Brick Fireplace
A black brick fireplace doesn’t automatically dominate the room. The paint shade also doesn’t have to be a pure, deep black.
There are plenty of lighter black tones, similar to the subtle variety in off-white paints.
via Kim Grant Design Inc
5. Blue Brick Fireplace
In a mid-century modern living room, the whole fireplace becomes an accent wall with a medium to light blue paint. This shade sits between cornflower and royal blue.
These colors echo French toile, adding vintage elegance to the area.
via Susie Mae Design
6. White and Gray
This fireplace is a bit different from traditional red brick ones. It’s a direct vent gas fireplace with a ribbon burner.
Even with real flames and the need to think about heat, painting these surrounds is usually simpler. The glossy white facing provides a strong modern contrast with the matte gray overmantel.
via Perfection Supply
7. Coastal Blue
A waterfront home uses a cool color scheme to keep things light and airy. This living room puts most darker shades – including the red brick fireplace – in the lower half of the room.
Off-white paint on the upper walls keeps the room feeling fresh.
via M&P Design Group
8. Shades of Black
The yellow glow from recessed ceiling lights in this contemporary library brings out the yellow undertones in the black paint. This fireplace is truly black, and it shows how much lighting affects a room’s look.
The fireplace itself is a lighter black than the surrounding bookcases.
9. White Brick Fireplace with Light Gray Mortar
A white fireplace in a room with an eclectic mix of styles – from plush velour chairs to intricate stained glass windows. This standard white brick design gets an upgrade from a Moroccan pattern on its panel.
Instead of a uniform paint color, gray mortar outlines the bricks, adding character and texture.
via Breeze Giannasio Interiors
10. Fountain Blue
A Spanish style living room mixes in contemporary elements. The light blue facing and mantel become the focal point.
This choice draws attention to the tiles inside the sealed firebox and creates a strong, balanced contrast with the white walls and built-in shelving.
via Crystal Blackshaw Interiors
11. Cinderblock Gray
A ventless gas fireplace gets a classic, nostalgic update with a gray shade that looks like old cinder block. This style works well for a chalk paint makeover.
You can easily repaint over the current color when you redecorate the room down the line.
12. Gunmetal Black
Dark brick fireplaces aren’t for everyone, but fans would never go back to a lighter or white version. Done right, they add drama and sophistication to any room.
This black brick fireplace has velvety mortar and an elegant wood floating mantel.
via Four Blocks South
13. Patterned Tile Fireplace Surround
A tiled fire surround and matching hearth border the black firebox. You can buy similar tiles at big hardware stores, but you can save money by painting the fireplace white and using a stencil instead.
This method gives you more options for a custom color palette.
14. All Brick Fireplace
Wanting to keep a modern black-and-white look, the homeowners chose black tile for the fire surround and hearth. They then carried that black shade across the rest of the fireplace, including the traditional mantel.
15. Brown
A conventional fireplace with a flush surround gets a bronze wash finish, letting subtle undertones of the original brick show through. Keeping the wall color consistent and using a floating mantel adds vertical emphasis to the room.
16. Gray and White
A gray fireplace with tall pilasters creates a symmetrical look, along with a broad mirror on the overmantel and a white brick fire surround.
17. White and Black
A white fireplace facing gives you lots of design options. Depending on the mood you want, you can go with a glossy, semi-gloss, or matte finish.
You could even try a faux marble treatment. This example shows basic finishes, but think about the possibilities of mixing white and ebony marble effects.
18. German Smear
The German smear technique fits a country cottage style. The goal is to make existing brickwork look like stone.
It involves applying thick, irregular mortar lines over the red brick. The final result is visible here – a realistic texture with a shiplap overmantel and a wood floating mantel.
19. Traditional Gray Fireplace
For a modern update to an older fireplace, try a tone-on-tone approach. This dark gray fireplace has no mantel and keeps a traditional shape, but gets a contemporary feel from its color and the gray walls.
via Sigmar
20. Creamy Brick Fireplace
The design here is clearly traditional. Modern touches come from muted neutral tones with splashes of color.
The fireplace blends into the room’s decor with a soft white surround and a black matte hearth.
via Barlow & Barlow Design
21. Patterned Tiles and Stone
Don’t be afraid to add another pattern around your fireplace, even if your room already has some. The straight lines and medium gray tones of the mantel and facing frame the fire surround tiles neatly.
Together, they complement the room’s overall color scheme.
22. All White Brick Fireplace
White brick and the hearth spill onto sand-colored hardwood floors. Three framed abstract art pieces add a contemporary touch to this coastal home.
23. Whitewashed Wonder (German Schmear)
Another take on the German smear or schmear technique is painting your red brick fireplace white. A typical painted brick project needs primers and a lot of prep work.
This white brick fireplace gets a whitewashed effect – by skipping the primer, some of the original brick color shows through for an organic look. If you want to change the color without losing the realistic texture of your stone or brick, a paint kit called Brick Anew can help preserve the natural look.
24. Creamy White Brick Fireplace
This large fire surround is entirely brick. Big brick fireplaces can sometimes overwhelm a room.
They can also make a room feel cramped when you’re going for a light, modern vibe. Painting the whole fireplace white turns it into a soft, calming focal point that pairs nicely with the mint wall and peachy accents.
via Mark English Architects
25. Modern Sophistication
A dark gray ribbon fireplace fits right into the neutral color scheme. It matches the sectional sofa and complements the brown furniture and flooring.
via Wiedemann Architects
26. Dark Plaster
You can paint plaster surfaces much like brick. The main difference is you can add dye to the plaster itself, which helps the latex topcoat resist chipping.
This dark plaster surround feels calm and grounded in a bright, airy room.
via Allen Construction
27. Green Brick Fireplace
Who says a fireplace can’t be green? This eclectic living room feels warm with its yellow walls and jewel-toned accessories.
The fireplace facing is white, and the brick surround is a natural green with gray mortar.
via Kathryn J. LeMaster Art & Design
28. Gray Brick and Wood Fireplace
A Tudor style room keeps its historical character while getting a modern update. The large fireplace was painted a deep gray.
The wood-stained mantel and overmantel take you back in time.
via JKA Design
