Today I’m sharing how I updated our fireplace mantel to create a more vintage, rustic look. It is super easy, cheap and makes a huge difference! It’s a great way to completely transform the focal point of your room- and anyone can do it!
Our fireplace has this gorgeous wooden mantel, but the stain made it almost orange, and with our beautiful peach wallpaper, it completely clashed. I knew I wanted the fireplace to be white, but I felt if I painted it with white gloss, it would make it appear new, which is never the look in out house! So the only way to go, was to crack open the good old chalk paint.
I started by sanding the wood back and removing all of the varnish and stain that was already on there. The wood itself was actually really beautiful once it was sanded, but it just didn’t sit well against our peach wallpaper.
Then it was time to add the chalk paint. I use Johnstone’s Chalk Paint in white and used a 1 1/2 inch brush to apply it. All you need to do is paint a few strokes in patches onto the wood, and then using a damp cotton cloth wipe away areas of the paint, especially on the raised areas. The idea is to create a worn aged look, so start with only a small amount and wipe back and blend with the cloth, you can always add more. If you find it easier, you can also apply it with the cloth too. If later on you find you’ve applied too much and it has dried, you can also sand back areas. There is no right or wrong here.
Using this method of painting a little and then wiping off it took me around 40 minutes to paint the entire fireplace, just lightly painting and wiping back off.
And that is it, it really is that easy! Don’t be worried about doing it wrong, just build it up slowly, and you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly. If you’re unsure of where it would naturally age, just always wipe back along the edges and any other raised detail. The grain in the wood created darker parts, but if yours is looking too flat, and you’d like a little depth, you can also add in a very light grey in certain areas, especially where it may gather, like in the grooves. Make sure to follow the paint with a few layers of clear wax to keep it protected, again I used Johnstone’s wax for this. The can be applied with a clean white cotton cloth or rag, and apply it in circular motions all over.
Let me know if you plan to update your fireplace like this!
Much Love
Natasha x
