Yesterday, my husband and I decided that we needed to update our house. We’re trying to sell our house and it’s just not getting any offers. We wanted to update our basement for cheap so we decided to whitewash our old stone fire place and put up some shiplap on the same wall (directions on shiplap here https://busybeemum.com/easy-and-quick-shiplap-wall/

I have to admit, I was super nervous. I wanted to make sure it looked good, but that it was easy and quick. Did I mention we decided to whitewash the fireplace at 6:00 PM? We made the decision after we put up the shiplap wall because the shiplap really dated the fireplace hahahah. We quickly ran down to Lowes (our 3rd trip that day) to try and find some products.

What you will need for this project:

• 1 gallon of white contractor grade paint
• A cheap, painters bucket, preferably with measurements on the side
• A cheap, paint brush
• A clean, dry rag (if you want to blot the whitewash)

There aren’t that many posts on whitewashing so we kind of guessed on what to use. We decided on using a cheap, contractors grade of white paint. This cost $17 for a whole gallon. A whole gallon was plenty for us. We didn’t even use half of the gallon!

We then bought a cheap $4 paint brush and a cheap painters bucket for $3.99.

Once I got home, I wiped down my stone with warm water and a clean rag. I then poured 1 qt. of the white paint into the painters bucket. I used a quart because the bucket had measurements on the side in quarts. Then I put a quart of cool water in with the paint. Always mix a 1:1 ratio (paint and water). Using a paint stirrer mix the paint and the water really well together. I found that a quart of paint was plenty to finish my whole fireplace; I didn’t even use half of it. You can definitely use less, I just used the quarts because it was easiest for me to see.

After mixing your paint, you’re ready to start! Just dip the very end of your brush into the paint and water mixture. Don’t submerge the paintbrush in because it will drip everywhere! You’ll find a little goes a long way. Start in a place where it is not easily visible just to get the feel of it and the look that you want. There is a small learning curve with getting the feel of the drips and the motion of the brush. I started on the far right side that was not facing out. Start at the top so that as it drips, it doesn’t drip on a place you’ve already painted. Using quick motions, go back and forth on the rock and in the grout. If you would like, you can paint a few rocks and then go back with a clean rag and blot if you don’t want a full white look. My stone was pretty yellow and old so I found I didn’t need to use the rag.

After an hour, my entire fireplace was done and almost dry. I love the way it turned out! Here’s a few more tips just to help you out.

• Have a wet rag ready right by you. Since the paint is so watered down it will flip everywhere.
• Have a drop on the floor for the same reason
• Make sure you get paint into every little crack and crevice in the rocks and in the grout.

Overall, I LOVED the way this project turned out! It was fast, easy and super affordable. I’m still not crazy about the hearth, but I tried to whitewash it and it did not look good at all! This was a very easy project if you want to update your stone fireplace.

What you will need for this project:

• 1 gallon of contractor grade white paint
• A cheap painters bucket (preferably with measurements on the side)
• A cheap paint brush
• A clean, dry rag (optional)

Step 1: Wipe down your stone with a clean wet rag

Step 2: Mix 1:1 ratio of paint and water

Step 3: Dipping the very edge of your paintbrush into the paint mixture, start in an inconspicuous place to practice.

Step 4: Start at the very top of the fireplace so that when the paint drips (and it will) it won’t drip onto what you’ve already painted.

Step 5: If you choose, paint a few rocks and then go back with your clean, dry rag and blot the whitewash. You only want to do this if you don’t want your stone really white. Mine was pretty yellow and old so I didn’t blot at all.