#ItsaBradenfulLife 1800's Home: Fireplace Renovations

Our 1800’s home had two fireplaces that were fortunate to still be in great condition. We were very thankful someone didn’t paint them at some point, as the wood is simply gorgeous!

Read on to see what we did to make them even more beautiful once again!

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden

First Floor Fireplace Details:

To complete the renovations for the first floor fireplace, we removed the drop ceiling surrounding it (as well as installed new walls in the room (but left the ceilings open as a design choice), removed the strangely misplaced closet someone built beside it, AND sanded/varnished the existing wood floors), cleaned it with a dry cloth and brushed on two coats of Bulls Eye SealCoat Shellac.

When we pulled down the drop ceiling, we uncovered “dancing girls” wallpaper that someone hand-cut and applied as a ceiling border. We wanted to save at least some of the beautiful border, so I meticulously hand painted new paint (to match the paint of the room) around the border above the fireplace. We painted the brick to match the room as well as added some wood trim.

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden


Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden

Second Floor Fireplace Details:

To complete the renovations for the second floor fireplace, we removed the drop ceiling surrounding it (as well as installed new walls and ceilings in the room, removed the small closet someone built beside it, AND carpeted the existing floors), cleaned it with a dry cloth and brushed on two coats of Bulls Eye SealCoat Shellac.

Due to someone painting the fireplace brick red at some point, I had to prime over that. Then I painted the entire fireplace a gray toned white. I used a brush to hand paint the brick, as a roller isn’t the best option when some of the mortar is crumbly. I also repainted the fireplace cover with white paint.

My husband used heavy duty masonry screws to hang trim around the top edge. We’ll also be applying more trim around the base of the fireplace and along the inner edges (where the brick meets the wall) in the near future.

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden

Renovations by Tommy and Carolyn Braden