Fireplace mantel reveal: See the before and after pictures of our brown wood fireplace mantel makeover with paint. Learn how to paint a wood mantel in just 3 easy steps! The DIY paint tutorial and supply list is included. This is such a quick and easy DIY home improvement project.
My Fireplace Mantel Reveal // A Before and After Makeover with Paint!
One of the things that I’ve been wanting to change in our home is the color of our brown wood fireplace mantel. The dark orangey wood color is too drab for the bright airy look I’m aiming for in my living room design.
So painting our wood fireplace mantel white was at the top of our to-do list.
Here’s our brown wood fireplace mantel. It’s so boring with this orangey-brown stain and the undertones of this stain clash with the rest of the room.
See how we updated our windows and replace these dated brown woven shades with beautiful white faux wood blinds!
Updating our window shades- Faux Wood Blinds Installation
Now it’s fresh and white and lovely!
….and here’s what our fireplace looks like now! We also painted the tile white!
This post may contain affiliate links. There is no additional charge to you, you just get to check out some beautiful things I love!
Here is how I painted our wood mantel:
Supplies:
- I used 1 can of this white enamel semi-gloss paint
- paint brush – I love this one because it has a short handle!
- small high density foam paint roller and tray
- paint cup with magnetic paint brush holder
- 220 grit sandpaper
- tack cloth
- painter’s tape – this is my favorite one!
Tutorial How to paint a wood fireplace mantel:
1. After taping off the mantel area with painter’s tape, lightly sand with 220 grit sandpaper the entire mantle with sandpaper (wrapped around a piece of wood acting as a sanding block).
2. Remove all dust and debris with a tack cloth. A tack cloth is a tacky material picks up debris before and after sanding. It gives a smooth and blemish-free finish so don’t miss this step! It’s reusable so keep it for your next painting job!
3. Paint the mantel with 3 coats of paint white enamel semi-gloss paint using this paint brush, paint cup with magnetic paint brush holder and this small high density foam paint roller and tray. Let each coat dry 24 hours.
What a difference! This white paint makeover really makes my mantel decor look gorgeous!
Here’s the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ again……What do you think? Do you love the ‘after’ version as much as I do???
How to paint a wood fireplace mantel:
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Heather Luckhurst is the publisher and owner of the Design and Lifestyle website 
[email protected] Design for Living says
August 13, 2013 at 2:08 pmLooks so much better, Heather. Love the white against the soft grey!
Heather SettingforFour says
August 14, 2013 at 12:23 amThanks so much Shauna!
May-B says
August 15, 2013 at 4:58 amWonderful! You did such a great job.
Rick Charles says
October 8, 2013 at 9:48 amIt’s looking awesome, especially I like the color combination and it really matches with the color of wall and the interior of house. I have just purchased a house and I am also looking for a new fireplace to be installed in my house and for that I have consulted with Livingstone- Fireplaces Ireland and they have suggested some design and I am really excited to see the final work.
Jenny says
October 22, 2013 at 11:18 amThe fireplace looks nice. it provides beauty to the space where it has been made. There are different type of fireplaces available nowadays. The material used as well as the pattern is totally different and unique. I recently had construction of my new house and have a very different place in living area which i ordered from Nagle fire. For further information you can visit http://www.naglefireplaces.com/fireplaces
Cori says
August 7, 2014 at 11:37 amLove it! What’s the name of the soft gray wall color? I love that!
heather says
August 7, 2014 at 8:46 pmThanks Cori! The paint color is Sherwin Williams Mindful Grey and it is Gorgeous! It’s such a lovely soft grey that goes with lots of other colors! I’m really really loving greys right now! I have this color in our dining room and family room too!
Sarah says
April 29, 2018 at 8:38 pmI love this so much! Question: do you have to match the trim and tile with the same white? I know there are many shades and our trim is Cotton Balls by Benjamin Moore.
heather says
May 5, 2018 at 9:47 amHi Sarah! I didn’t match my trim because it was painted by the previous homeowner and I dont know what color it was! It’s a good idea to match the mantel paint color to the tile paint color if your mantel is white! xo Heather
Brandi says
March 19, 2019 at 2:56 pmThe link to the paint you used on the mantle is no longer available. I was wondering if you had a recommendation for alternate paint. Or if you could provide the name so I can purchase it elsewhere. Thanks! Beautiful project!!
heather says
March 19, 2019 at 3:51 pmHi – I updated the link! This is the paint I used https://rstyle.me/+6RZ9oqAWejYKUewvOxCiuQ Hope that helps! 🙂 Thank you – we really love this mantel makeover!
samantha says
April 25, 2019 at 9:49 amHow did you paint the tile? Same paint? Did you have to sand it down first? I’ve never painted tile before!
heather says
April 28, 2019 at 9:17 pmAll the instructions are in this post Samantha! 🙂