# Painting fireplace bricks. A couple of questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 29, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532 "2002-12-29T19:57:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermann_Cheruscan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/1 "2002-12-29T19:57:59Z")
I’m thinking of painting the bricks under and next to my woodburning stove. The ones there are old looking and grimy. Does anyone know what kind of paint to use, such as oil or latex? Also, would it have to be heat resistant paint? The wall bricks get very warm, but not hot. Any answers I get would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/2 "2002-12-29T20:08:39Z")
How about cleaning them. Painting bricks never looks as good as the unpainted ones IMHO and I would wag nearly impossible to undo. ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/3 "2002-12-29T20:29:12Z")
Don’t do it. Bob Vila has been talking people out of this for some time. Check out his message boards from [bobvila.com](http://bobvila.com) Sooty paint is almost impossible to clean and actually reduces the value of your home. Over time, the paint will discolor. Paint traps moisture which can ruin the brick. You can clean the brick with a steamer and coat with Silene sealant which allows the moisture to escape. You may want to call a fireplace store in your area for ideas on paint to use. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/4 "2002-12-30T00:01:34Z")
A paint store would know what to use. Maybe some high temperature stuff… ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/5 "2002-12-30T02:08:06Z")
If you do decide to paint it, ask the experts if you should coat the brick with a product like “Kilz” which is a coating/primer which would prevent any old dirt/ash from seeping through the paint. This is used in areas prone to grease and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Hrdygrdymn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Hrdygrdymn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrdygrdymn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/6 "2002-12-30T16:10:16Z")
We’ve done it and it looks much better. Our brick was the type with those tiny grooves from the 30’s. Cleaned it well with something called TSP or THP (not STP or THC) or something like that (comes in a powder, mixes with water) and a wire brush. That took a while but it got rid of any loose material, soot, etc. Then a really good primer (2 coats) then 3 coats of paint. We used latex I think (to be honest my wife pretty well did the whole thing). The key was putting so many coats on. No brick or dark tint shows through and it looks 100% better. Sure its non-reversable but if we want red brick again, we can paint it red again. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painting-fireplace-bricks-a-couple-of-questions/145532/7 "2002-12-30T16:23:10Z")
TriSodiumPhosphate. It’s what’s in Tide. We’ve done quite a few old brick walls and fireplaces. I’m always surprised by how good it looks because I prefer the look of sealed stone or brick. But, the customer gets what the customer wants. The key is cleaning and the right type of primer. Go to a real paint store and describe for them exactly what material it is. Home Depot type places usually won’t have it. Sorry I didn’t look at this thread til now, but it seems like it ended up well for you. Enjoy!