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Ninette recommends first giving the hearth and its environment a radical clear, then taping throughout the sides of the mantel and taping down the ground masking. “Be very diligent right here,” she says. “Stripping brokers might be very sturdy, and I received it on the partitions somewhat bit.” To guard the encompassing areas, observe the previous designer maxim: Measure twice, lower as soon as. “Take time to start with to avoid wasting time in the long run,” Ninette provides. For those who do get it on the partitions, she says, it’s important to scrape off something that the stripping agent touched, as a result of the paint will doubtless begin to come off. “Clear it very effectively with mineral spirits, then you may contact up these spots with wall paint.”
Step 2: Strip and scrape
A long time of paint layers left the white-painted wood hearth mantel with a lackluster facade. To correctly take away the paint, Ninette used a stripping agent in lieu of simply sanding. Armed with protecting gear—eyewear, masks and gloves (Ninette used nitrile, not latex or rubber), and enjoyable coveralls—she utilized a wholesome quantity of CitriStrip everywhere in the previous paint. This orange goo stayed on for as much as 24 hours, so be certain the world is effectively ventilated. Very like watching paint dry, ready for the stripping agent to do its job requires endurance. Don’t let the stripping agent contact the painter’s tape, as it is going to pull the tape off the wall and doubtlessly harm any adjoining supplies, Ninette warns.
Then, scrape the “now-puckered mess.” Relying on how ornate your mantel is, it will both be a breeze or would possibly take some finessing. “For the primary spherical of scraping, I spent the higher a part of an extended afternoon getting all of the melted paint off,” Ninette says. “The second spherical was solely about two hours.” She used the widest scraper she needed to get many of the job completed. “It was after I tried scraping the paint out of the cracks behind the columns that my endurance was examined. It helped having the correct instruments to get into these onerous to succeed in locations, though at occasions it felt like I wanted a toothpick and a magnifying glass.” Simply get into the corners and across the edges as finest you may. Repeat this step if needed.
Step 3: Clear and sand the mantel
“As soon as glad with the magic of stripping and scraping layers and layers of paint off, it’s essential to wash the floor,” Ninette says. “Primer and paint gained’t follow brokers that are supposed to take away paint. Use heavy-duty paper towels to get many of the goopy mess off. Attempt to get it as dry and wiped down as potential.” Then, use mineral spirits or paint thinner to take off any remaining residue, ensuring to get rid of rags and paper towels correctly at a hazardous waste facility—as these are extremely flammable. As with the stripper, air flow is vital to keep away from fume inhalation. Let the mantel dry utterly, and sand down any components that want somewhat further love. As soon as sanded, wipe the mantel once more to take away mud. Take away all the prevailing painter’s tape. “Any residue on the previous tape might harm the brand new primer and paint,” she says. Apply a brand new perimeter of tape to guard the encompassing partitions from paint.
Step 4: Clear the brick
As a result of the bricks on this mantel had by no means been altered, Ninette discovered this step to be fairly simple. “I wiped it down with some Windex and a material, primed it and utilized the paint. I made certain to make use of a brush right here, because the grout strains and the brick had been at two completely different depths.”
Step 5: Go prime time
As soon as the wood mantel and brick portion of the hearth are clear—prime. This step seals and preps the floor to make sure the paint lasts longer showcase’s the paint colour’s true hue. Permit the primer to dry for a minimum of two hours earlier than making use of a second coat.
Step 6: Paint it fairly
As a result of high-gloss paint end can present a variety of imperfections, Ninette settled on Farrow & Ball’s fashionable emulsion end. “It’s much like a satin, however not absolutely flat. It has a stunning sheen and wealthy, lovely pigments that choose up colour and lightweight very properly.” After you apply the primary coat of paint, let it dry utterly for a minimum of two hours. To maximise the sleek end, Ninette flippantly sanded the primary coat of paint as soon as it was absolutely dry.
“You don’t want to do that, however the extra sheen within the paint, the extra imperfections you’ll be capable of see,” she says. Wipe down the mantel to take away mud particles and paint a second or perhaps a third coat if needed, letting every one absolutely dry and flippantly sanding it and cleansing it in between. “I used a darker colour so I utilized a 3rd coat,” she says.
For the brick paint, Ninette used a brush to get into the completely different depths of brick and grout strains. “The curler would have been more durable to make use of because the brick was recessed from the mantel and will have splattered on the newly painted wooden,” she says.
