Ever since we moved into this loft apartment I’ve wanted to update the fireplace. A few years ago we were forced to upgrade our gas fireplace because the entire unit died and it is our only heat source in the apartment so it was a necessary expense. Little did I know just how expensive it was going to be, yikes!
Here’s what it looked like when we moved in, that faux stone texture…yikes!
We installed a beautiful modern gas fireplace and decided to keep the exterior as painted drywall, simply because this was the most affordable option at the time and we knew we could always update it later. So I’ve been playing around with some ideas. Not sure I will actually hit go on any of them, but it’s fun to explore options and think about it for the future.
Initially, I thought, paint it black! So I photoshopped it black and immediately realised it would consume the entire apartment and likely show every mark and lots of dust, so yes it looks good in the photo but if you knew the size of our space you’d realize it won’t be good.
Then I searched around and fell in love with the idea of coating the drywall in a clay or plaster finish, this will likely be the route I take if I ever get motivated to take on the task and the mess. It is 16ft tall and right in the middle of our living space so, for now, I’ll just admire some inspiration I’ve gathered.
Bre from Bre Purposed did an amazing DIY roman clay over her tiled fireplace
and I’m obsessed with it, such a buttery finish:
Check it out here she will show you all the steps to get the look
I also love the idea of doing a soft grey concrete, there are so many products out there now that look like concrete but don’t have the weight. I could just use a grey roman clay, which would look similar to the photo below:
Photo from clairebloom.com
I’ve also heard from Ardex Feather Finish which was used in this DIY Concrete Fireplace I found on Domino.
An alternative for concrete could be Matt Concrete panels. I saw them a few years ago and they’ve been on my mind ever since. I haven’t looked into the installation process but it seems like you need to hire someone that is certified in using the material, but it’s lightweight and the finishes are so beautiful. My only concern is it might be too much grey with our concrete floors. But this photo below shows concrete on concrete and it isn’t so bad, although it has a warm wood ceiling to break it up.
Photos below from Matt Concrete
Well I hope you’ve enjoyed this fireplace inspirational journey, I’ll update you someday if we ever decide to update the cracking painted drywall. I hope this gives you some ideas if you’re looking to update your own fireplace.
Hi, this is beautiful! Would you mind sharing where the fire place is from?
The fireplace in the first photo (my fireplace) is from Valor Gas Fireplaces. Hope this helps you out.
Hi I was wondering how deep that fireplace ledge is where the mantle used to be?
Hi, the mantel ledge is about 12″ and that’s due to the depth of the fireplace we installed. If I could I would have removed the ledge entirely.
Sorry.. but u didn’t say what u ended up doing to get the finished fireplace look u have? Did you just paint it?
I haven’t done anything, just left it painted white and kept it simple.
I want to do the same, taking out the fireplace surrounding and just painting the wall. But I an afraid it will be enough heat-resistance. Yours has something special to be heat resistant?
sorry for the super late reply. The drywall used around my fireplace is heat resistant material, not standard drywall.
hi There,
What is the dimension depth of the upper part of the unit and the lower part from the wall? And the height of the shelf off the floor? I am putting in a valor unit myself in a finished room and going to go the sheetrock route for simplicity and cost, for a contemporary look. My unit is 15.5 deep, so I am trying to figure out how deep the upper part should be over the shelf. Mine will be 60 inches wide, so I can get a 65 inch tv above. Thanks for your help,
Robin
Hi Robin sorry for the super delayed reply, I haven’t checked my blog comments in forever. I hope you figured out your fireplace! Our measurements are based on what was standard for our fireplace install from Valor. I don’t love the dimensions but it was what was necessary for fire ratings and heat.