How To Update Brass Fireplace Insert with Spray Paint

Update brass fireplace insert with one can of spray paint, in one afternoon. Follow these simple steps and have yourself an updated brass fireplace in just a few hours.

updated fireplace insert on red brick fireplace

Update Brass Fireplace Insert

We have future plans to update our brick fireplace, you see our plans here but for now, we just wanted a quick, inexpensive way to update it.

*We have since fully updated our fireplace, you can read all about it in our How To Paint a Brick Fireplace post.

Supplies Needed to Update Brass Fireplace Insert

Hight Heat Spray Paint (this is the one we used)

Painters Tape (to protect glass)

Newspaper of Kraft Paper (for overspray)

How to update a brass fireplace surround

Tape off Glass

taped off glass to update brass fireplace insert

Use painter's tape to conceal the glass on the fireplace insert. Painters tape is the best for this as it doesn't leave any residue.

Account for Overspray

kraft paper around fireplace insert to protect brick

Using whatever paper or plastic you have around the house, to create a shield, protecting the brick from any overspray. We used kraft drop paper we found at the dollar store. You could use newspaper or garbage bags.

Do you need heat resistant paint for fireplace?

The paint used for this project is very important. A fireplace insert heats up a lot on a wood-burning fireplace, for this reason, heat resistant paint is very important.

High-heat paint is created for surfaces that reach high temperatures, we used this for our insert as we know from experience that the insert itself heat up a lot when burning a fire. We chose to use spray paint for a smooth finish.

spray painted fireplace insert with kraft paper covering brick surround

Very Important: Make sure to have good ventilation in the area you are painting. This type of paint is toxic and can be very harmful if not used properly.

We painted on a cool day and opened all windows in the house. After painting, we left the house to ventilate and returned several hours later.

Enjoy your Updated Fireplace!

red brick fireplace with roaring fire, bookself to the right, wooden circular coffee table in forground

We are excited to pull off the whole fireplace makeover but for now, we are really enjoying this subtle change! We love the matte black finish and the way in ties into the black iron pipe we have on the coffee table as well as in the curtain rods.