So you decided it’s time to paint the fireplace. But should you do it yourself or call a professional? And how much will it cost?
In many houses the fireplace is a favorite spot. It’s a place to gather to keep warm in the winter, to tell stories around when the power is out, and to open presents on Christmas eve. Everyone who has a fireplace in their home probably has all kinds of precious fireplace memories.
If you love your fireplace and want to keep it looking great, then you might be thinking about giving it a makeover. Part of it could be a cosmetic overhaul, which would include a new paint job. The prices for this task could vary, depending on how you plan to go about it.
Choose How You’ll Plan to Paint
You can either purchase all of the supplies and paint your fireplace yourself, or you can hire one of your house painting companies to do the job for you.
There are a few advantages to each option. Here are some of the pros and cons of each choice.
If You Choose to Do it Yourself
The DIY trend has been picking up steam over the years on blogs and social media, with many people looking to do themselves the things that others choose to hire professionals for.
Here are some of the great things about choosing to paint your fireplace yourself.
1. You can save a good deal of money
The main motivation for many to go DIY is to money saved. Hiring professionals can easily add up to something you can’t afford, if you’re on a budget than the DIY route will cost you significantly less.
2. You can enlist help
Choosing to go the do it yourself route doesn’t mean you really have to do it by yourself. If possible, enlist the aid of an able-bodied friends or family member to give you a hand. Together, you can paint the fireplace much quicker than you could by yourself, and may even enjoy it.
3. You can learn a little something
There is no teacher like experience, and if you try to tackle painting your fireplace on your own, you can learn a thing or two not only about painting fireplaces, but the types of fireplaces along with the many types of paint that are meant for those surfaces.
Here are some of the things that are not so great about choosing to paint your fireplace yourself:
More work for you to handle
You already work to afford your home and the rest of your life, how do you plan to find time to squeeze in painting the fireplace? You’ll need to do some planning to make sure you can get it done.
You may not know what you’re doing
There are several different kinds of paints that would work on different kinds of fireplace surfaces. You’ll need to do plenty of research to make sure you know what you’re doing before you can comfortably do this job on your own.
What Can You Expect to Pay When Doing it Yourself?
It isn’t possible to come up with a concrete price for doing it yourself when it comes to painting your fireplace. It will depend on the type of fireplace you have, the type and quality of the paint you get, and the total cost of other materials (paint brushes and rollers, etc.).
All in all, the total cost of your supplies will depend on the size of your fireplace and what it is made of. Some people have paid upwards of $650 painting a large brick fireplace with high quality paints.
What if You Choose to Hire a Painting Company to Get it Done?
If you’ve got the budget to get it done, and would rather someone with more experience do the job of painting your fireplace for you, you are free to call in the professionals. Almost any painting company offering indoor residential painting services should be more than able to paint your fireplace for you.
Before you get anything done by the painting company you choose, make sure you meet them in person and get a cost estimate. If you want to try and save a little bit more money, you should try to get in touch with more than one painting company and schedule them for an estimate. When you have more than one cost estimate in hand, you can compare and contrast them to find the best price to work with your budget.
Here are some of the great things about choosing to hire professional painters.
1. You’re paying for the experience
You won’t have to worry about a thing when you hire the professional painters, because this is their job, something they do every single day to make their living. If you’re not a great painter and aren’t confident that you could paint the fireplace to your liking, then calling in the pros is going to be your best bet if you want a paint job that you will be happy to look at on a regular basis.
2. You’re taking the work off your shoulders
Painting the fireplace yourself would be a lot of work, and you may not have the time or the energy to put into such a project, especially one you may not have much experience in. If you want to be able to relax and focus on other matters, then hire a professional to get your fireplace painted for you.
3. The professionals will have the right equipment
When you have your estimate done for your job, your painting company employees will probably make a list of the materials and equipment they will need to get the job done. Your painting team will know exactly what is needed, taking the guesswork away from you, had you chosen to go the DIY route.
Here are some of the things that aren’t so great about calling in the professionals.
4. It is more expensive
If you are looking to save as much money as possible, then hiring a painting company to take care of painting your fireplace probably isn’t going to be the best idea. Doing it yourself will save you a good deal of cash.
5. You’ll have to wait for the painters
When you choose to do it yourself, the job starts when you’re ready. When you hire professionals, however, you have to come up with a time that works for everyone.
What Can You Expect to Pay When Hiring Professionals?
Painting fireplaces is a bit more of a niche project that not every painting company might have a specific pricing for. While some may quote you an estimate for the entire project, others will probably end up billing by the hour.
For most professional painters, you can expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $50 per hour, per painter (if more than one painter is assigned to your job).
Frequently Asked Questions
Never painted your fireplace before? You’re not alone, plenty of people have considered the same thing before, and many of them surely had some of the same questions you have now. Here are some of the most frequently asked of the questions regarding fireplace painting.
How much should you pay a painter upfront?
When hiring professional painters, it would be a bit of a red flag if they asked for upfront payment. Normally, when hiring painting companies, you can have an in person meeting for a cost estimate for your job. Normally, you won’t pay a dime until the job is done.
If you want to make the room appear brighter, consider a white color. If you want to modernize the look of your fireplace and the area around it, consider painting it a nice black color.
Do I need heat-resistant paint for a fireplace?
If you are still using the fireplace on a regular basis, then heat-resistant paint is definitely recommended. You can still paint an actively used fireplace with other types of paint if you choose, but you should be advised that the paint probably won’t last very long if it isn’t specifically heat resistant.
Heat Up Your Fireplace With a Brand New Look
Sometimes, a little change can bring a noticeable difference to a room. If you want to make your living room or den look a little different, consider giving the fireplace a makeover with a new paint job.
Whether you plan to hire a painting company to get it done for you or do the whole job yourself, you can have your fireplace looking brand new and so much more inviting with just a few hours’ work of painting.
If you’re looking to add a new image to the precious memories that have yet to be made, then start making plans to paint the fireplace soon. You’ll be surprised at how it can make everything around it seem brand new and fresh.
