Screened In

It's done. Complete. The end.

What's done, you ask? Well, I'm talking about our fireplace. I left you hanging with the paint job we gave it a couple weeks ago (read about that here).



The only thing left to complete this makeover was painting the brass fireplace screen that covered the opening. Here's a picture of the screen before any painting took place...



The brass finish was too out-of-date looking and just not my style. So, I knew painting it would be a great DIY opportunity and save us the cash we'd spend buying something brand new.

Joey took on the painting of the screen and it was a pretty simple process. Since the screen is going to cover a fireplace that will be used to burn wood, it will likely get hot - at least on the inside. So, for the primer, we decided to go with a special high-heat spray paint. We got it at Lowe's.



Joey taped off the glass and put some paper behind the screen in case of over-spray, and went to town. He gave it 2 even coats of primer with only a little drying time needed between coats.



I actually wanted the final finish on the screen to be an oil-rubbed bronze, but the high-heat spray paint didn't come in that finish. So, I settled with black for the primer color.



However, for the final 2 coats of paint (that would make 4 coats total), we did use regular oil-rubbed bronze spray paint (also from Lowe's). Here's hoping the top coat won't melt off/bubble/peel when we make our first fire. Since most of the painted screen faces out away from the fire, I'm crossing my fingers it'll be fine. I'll let you know if it turns out badly.

Sorry, no pictures of Joey painting the final 2 coats because he got it all done and the screen back in place before I got home from work one day. So, I was surprised to see it finished.



Can I say (without too much bragging) that I love it? It looks like a new screen. No hint brass anywhere. The screen blends beautifully with our fireplace tool kit and coordinates with the other metal finishes in the room too.



Here's a larger before picture of the fireplace not painted but the screen removed.



I had considered leaving the screen off and just making the opening prettier (somehow), but now I'm glad we put the screen back on. It looks more polished and somehow makes the TV hanging above it blend better. Plus it covers the ugly/dirty inside and will be keep things safe when little kids are around or we go to bed before the fire dies.



A lot of people struggle with the idea of hanging a TV above a fireplace, but I gotta tell ya that I love it more than ever now. I actually find myself staring at the fireplace instead of the TV because I'm so pleased with the transformation. But when I really want to watch the TV, I'm glad we can face both at the same time. It's a win-win for us.



This is one of my absolute most favorite projects we have completed in the house so far. The risk of painting the brick was definitely worth the reward of a fresh, bright, clean, newer looking fireplace in the end. Total cost for the brick primer and paint and spray paint for the screen was about $90 (and it probably could have been done for less). So worth it! So worth it!

Now, it's time to move on to the next project (because home improvement never ends). What will it be? Hmmm...