Yes, you can paint a marble fireplace surround with chalk paint, but would we still recommend doing this project two years later? Wait until you see how this painted marble fireplace looks today.
When we moved into our home in 2006, a neutral color palette meant shades of brown and cream.
So the cream colored marble we chose for our gas fireplace surround worked beautifully!
But when we repainted our downstairs with Revere Pewter, suddenly that neutral cream stopped feeling so neutral.
It looked way more gold than off-white.
And my husband and I spent the next few years debating what we should do about it.
We finally decided that we were going to replace the marble, but then I discovered chalk paint…
Ugh.
I cringe every time I see that picture!
Anyway, we decided to give chalk paint a try before replacing the marble.
I shared all the details about how to paint your fireplace with chalk paint in this post.
Before painting the marble, we also made some changes to the builders-grade mantel.
Now here we are, two years later, and this painted marble fireplace surround project has been one of our most popular DIY posts on this blog!
Are you thinking about painting your gas fireplace surround too?
Curious how the paint has held up after almost three winters of fireplace use?
Wondering whether I’d do this easy DIY fireplace makeover again?
Well, let’s take a look.
Chalk Painted Marble Fireplace Surround After 2 Years
First, a little background, this fireplace sits in the most used room of our home.
We use the fireplace about 5 times per week from December through February, sometimes more. And depending on the weather, a few times a week in November and March.
I don’t have young children or dogs, so that may affect how much wear the hearth area gets.
Here’s how my fireplace looks today.
I snapped this photo just before sitting down to share how this project has held up with you!
Quite a difference from that before picture up there, isn’t it?
Doesn’t even look like the same space!
Except for that amazing leather basket and our carpeting, pretty much everything around the fireplace has changed.
But let’s take a closer look.
I painted the quarter-round trim after the initial project and didn’t have any sealer left because I’d used it on my daughter’s desk.
So the quarter-round trim has gotten a little scuffed, and doesn’t have the same shine to it that the fireplace surround has.
But it looks way better now than it did when it was white…
It’s funny how we’ll live with little things like that for years, isn’t it?
I honestly don’t ever notice it until I take a close-up picture!
There’s also a small chip on that corner from when I dropped a brass candlestick.
And a few specks of dust.
Here’s another close up of the hearth, and you can see there’s a little more dust.
Apparently I’m not as good a housekeeper as I thought.
There are a few minor scuffs and two more tiny chips.
Most of those scuffs are from my decorative wrought iron fireplace screen, and they’re pretty much covered up when the screen is sitting in place.
Overall, those chips and some scuffs are all the damage to the painted marble surface we’ve had.
I’ve had way more damage happen to the white painted mantel, and wood’s supposed to be painted!
See that large brown spot on the white painted part of my mantel on the picture below?
Apparently command hooks adhesive does not release if it’s been heated up… Instead it takes a chunk of paint along with it.
Here are a few more closer photos to let you see the rest of the surround.
I have to say I’m incredibly thrilled by how well this inexpensive fix has held up!
Considering that the entire project cost less than $25 to complete, I would definitely recommend using Rustoleum’s Chalked Paint to paint a marble fireplace surround on a gas fireplace!
It’s a great way to inexpensively solve a decorating dilemma.
And since everyone loves a good before and after, here you go! You can definitely see how much of an impact that simple change made!
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!
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