Have an outdated fireplace and want to give it a farmhouse fireplace makeover?
Was your home built in the 90s, and your fireplace has those ugly brass accents with some cheap looking trim or tile surrounding it? Or do you have a brick or stone fireplace that is dark, dingy, overwhelmingly large, or ugly?
If you answered yes to any of these, I have just the diy projects for you! If you’re looking to give your fireplace a new look or need new ideas and design options to fix your outdated fireplace, you’re in the right place!
The living room is the heart of your home, where the whole family hangs out (even if each person is on their device, ha!). It’s a place where the entire family is regularly together.
In this post, I’ll teach you the fail-proof farmhouse formula and how to use it to give your fireplace a farmhouse makeover.
Let’s get to the good stuff!
Disclaimer: Please remember that I am a DIY enthusiast, not a professional. This article is for general information use and is not a substitute for professional advice. Before taking any actions, consult a professional! Additionally, this may contain affiliate links where I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using my link. All opinions and recommendations are my own. I truly appreciate you taking my suggestions and using my links. Thank you for being so supportive!
The Farmhouse Formula
Here’s where the Farmhouse Formula comes in! I’m about to teach you the three-part formula to nailing a farmhouse look. Shiplap, wood accents, and paint are the three components that give just about any space in your house a farmhouse look.
- Shiplap: thanks to the Queen of Farmhouse, Joanna Gaines herself, we all fell head over heels in love with shiplap. She used this frequently throughout her designs because it is the foundation of farmhouse. It’s easy to install, and despite the rising wood costs, it’s still worth the price for its enormous impact on a space.
- Wooden accents: incorporating a faux rustic wood or real wooden beam. The warmth of the wood is gorgeous and adds additional texture.
- Paint: the two options for paint colors using the farmhouse formula are white or, if you want something a little more dramatic, you can use black.
Let’s get into the most common outdated fireplace types and how to use the Farmhouse Formula to give then a farmhouse fireplace makeover.
Farmhouse Fireplace Makeover: Builder Grade Upgrade
If your fireplace is just so builder-grade, you have lots of great options to update its look to a modern farmhouse style. Typical builder-grade fireplaces lack character – they are usually some sort of insert, have brass accents, and either have a small section of cheap tile or trim framing it. But don’t worry! I have some great ideas and different ways you can fix this problem without spending a lot of money!
Step 1: Farmhouse Fireplace Makeover Your Fireplace Trim + Tile
Keeping the Farmhouse Formula in mind – the first step is to remove the trim work (if your fireplace has it). Then you can decide where you want your shiplap. You can use either shiplap from floor to ceiling or just a section of the fireplace area.
If your outdated fireplace has tile framing it, a way to use the Farmhouse Formula is to paint the tile in a fun pattern using a stencil and black paint.
Step 2: Bye-Bye Brass
Time to address that brass and the easiest and most affordable way is to paint it black. They make heat safe paint – so if you can get your hands on this, that would be best. If you opt to use spray paint, try and remove the brass pieces and spray them outside.
Step 3: Hello Wooden Accents
The next step in your farmhouse fireplace makeover is to add warmth and texture by updating the mantel to a chunky wooden beam. A great option is to use an existing fireplace mantle (and a few diy skills) to box in the existing mantle to give it a little more bulk.
No existing mantle? No problem! You have more options for placement in this case. Adding a rustic wooden beam or building a faux wooden beam is essential to any farmhouse fireplace makeover.
Step 4: Farmhouse Fireplace Makeover With Paint
Lastly, paint the entire fireplace area white or black. If you’re overwhelmed about which white or black paint colors to use (because there are sooo many options), check out this post on modern farmhouse colors.
Farmhouse Fireplace Makeover: A New Fireplace Mantel
Essential to any farmhouse fireplace makeover is a chunky wooden mantel. It’s the focal point of the fireplace! Rustic and real or smooth and faux, either will do; just be sure to do something with the old fireplace mantle.
I absolutely love incorporating old with new, so a real rustic wood mantel is my first choice. However, a word of caution, these beams are heavy, and properly securing this to the wall is critical.
If you prefer a smooth wood look, your best option is to create a new wood mantel. This option is also great if you’re worried about the weight of the wood. A faux wood beam is much lighter and less scary to attach to the wall.
Brick Fireplace Makeovers
You can easily give an existing brick fireplace a more farmhouse look. Paint it, or do a German Schmear or lime wash finish. German Schmear is my preference for updating a brick fireplace. Don’t let the fancy name scare you; German Schmear is a super easy and affordable weekend project. The entire process too me a very small amount of time. I was shocked by how smoothly the entire project went.
I used German Schmeared my fireplace using a white mortar and a unique technique that left some of the existing brick colors exposed. The result was a totally transformed once-dark eyesore in the room into the most beautiful eye-catching piece. Check out my post on how to german schmear brick here.
Using the farmhouse formula, you could easily give your brick fireplace surround a farmhouse look by painting the fireplace white or going moody and painting the fireplace brick black.
Stone Fireplace Makeovers
Another typical outdated fireplace look is big-ol’ bulky stone surround. You should consider painting them to avoid having to rip them out. There is value in a real stone, so before you do away with it, try your hand at painting the stone or the grout. It’s easy to do, and I’ll bet it looks much better than what you started with.
So, there you have it! You asked how to give a fireplace a farmhouse makeover, and I gave you the farmhouse formula so you can easily update your outdated fireplace! After reading this, I hope you feel more confident about giving your fireplace a farmhouse makeover.
What questions do you still have? Email me, and I’d be happy to help! I’d also love to see what you ended up doing to your fireplace; tag me in a photo on Instagram @tantrumsandtools, and I’ll share your results in my stories!
xo
Amanda
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