How to Whitewash Your Fireplace - Best Method

Today, we’re going to go over the best way to whitewash your stone fireplace. The method I’m using is a two-part system, but is something that can be done in a couple of days, or a single day if you start early enough and let the first coat of paint dry.

Materials:

White Chalk Paint

Gray Latex Paint

Plaster of Paris

Bristle Brush

Mixing Cup

Drop Cloths to Protect the Floor

Part 1:

You’re going to want to put a darker base coat on the stone, this will help make the end whitewash look real. Otherwise, you might as well just paint your stone white. Mix the products in the list below and use your bristle brush to paint over the stone. Move the brush in circular motions to get all of the little holes and cover every bit of the fireplace. This first coat is going to be done using Gray Latex Paint, Plaster of Paris, and Water.

1 Cup Gray Latex Paint Valspar

¼ Cup Plaster of Paris Dap

¼ Cup Water

Stir Everything!

1 Cup Water (add this cup after mixing, this is what makes it a wash)

Part 2:

Let the base coat dry for a few hours, and then begin making the chalk paint. To do this, we just mix 1-part chalk paint and 1-part water. That means for every cup of chalk paint, mix in 1 cup of water.

1 Cup Linen Chalk Paint by Rust-Oleum

1 Cup Water

Mix everything and apply to the stone fireplace with a bristle brush, using circular motions once again. I went over the stones with a 2nd coat, dodging the grout lines as much as possible.

Conclusion and Tips:

The fireplace ended up looking amazing, and I was able to surprise my wife when she got home from a family trip. This is an extremely easy process and transformed the entire living room.

Tip 1: Cover your walls and floor! I did not do a very good job of this and now I have to paint the surrounding walls.

Tip 2: I would have applied a lighter coat of the chalk paint, specifically within the grout lines. That way the grout lines would pop a little more.

Tip 3: Take more before photos! We don’t have many shots of what it looked like before. We just remember how ugly it was and how clean it now is.