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Renovating Fireplaces DIY

Fireplace advice

4 years ago

Hey Houzzers... some advice needed please. We bought an Edwardian semi in Surrey thar has a few lovely fireplaces including the one fireplace in photo. The surround is cold to the touch so I presume it’s made of slate that has been painted in this “slightly” gothic red marble effect to match the tiles. I was hoping you could tell me:

is this original paintwork or a later addition?
I don’t really like the look of it and would like to change it however how can this be done? Painting? Changing the surround is not an option at this stage as the Reno work is limiting our budget

Thanks a lot!

Alessandra

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Comments (4)

123
4 years ago
Hi, that’s the original paintwork, done to make the slate look like marble. You can paint over it but that will damage the marbling. I think you can also strip it back to the slate but I don’t know how successfully, perhaps someone else on Houzz has an example?
Romain Blndeel
4 years ago
Hello Alessandra,

That's actually the original paintwork.

You should strip it back to the original slate first.

Being a porous surface, to paint on to slate you do not need a primer as the paint will adhere to the surface easily. You can base coat your slate if you wish. As slate can be easily scratched, in order to protect your project from signs of wear and tear, the best way to finish it is to apply two coats of varnish.
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Jonathan
4 years ago
I really like it. If you don’t then consider selling it and buying an alternative
Stephen Davies
4 years ago
Lovely fireplace. can't actually beat those Edwardian properties and you can feel lucky to have acquired it. I would suggest asking a pro as I do on anything DIY. I chuck questions here and on forums. These are good.

https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/questions

https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/

https://www.mumsnet.com/

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