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LZ Cathcart

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Living

Easy DIY Mantle Update with White Washing Method

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Do you desperately need a mantle update? I feel your pain! I was going through the same dilemma until I figured out how to do this easy DIY.

Do you desperately need a mantle update? I feel your pain! I was going through the same dilemma until I figured out how to do this easy DIY.

Don’t tell my husband, but I’ve never been a huge fan of our fireplace mantle.

There, I said it! You want to know the worse part? I helped pick out the stone tiles that we were using.

Yea….. How horrible is that? But I confess. I definitely helped pick out the tiles, the color, and even liked them up until the point that Mike installed them.

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    However, after that point, it all kind of went downhill from there.

    If you’ve been following along for the last few weeks I’ve really been concentrating on lightening and brightening up my living room.

    For instance, I painted my all-time favorite coffee station and then gave the entire living room a wall upgrade!

    I kind of have this thing for dark wood which makes it easy to create a cozy and homey feeling, but on the other hand it makes it hard to keep it light and bright.

    You might even be wondering why I’m not showing a full picture of my fireplace mantle with the original stone tile.

    Well, to be completely honest, it was nearly impossible for me to get a decent photo when it was in it’s natural state. The black stove paired with the dark barn wood, and then the stone tile made it pretty hard to photograph.

    It was incredibly frustrating, and I found myself avoiding this area of my home when sharing photos with you because they always looked horrible.

    You can imagine my excitement though that I can now share these beauties with you!

    In fact, it’s probably the easiest project I’ve done to date.

    All you need is:

    Painter’s Tape

    White Interior Paint

    Varathane Wood Stain in Briarsmoke

    Paper Towel

    Paint Brush

    Just tape off all the areas you do not want to get paint on, paint it the color of your choice (mine is white), and then let it dry.

    Do you desperately need a mantle update? I feel your pain! I was going through the same dilemma until I figured out how to do this easy DIY.
    Do you desperately need a mantle update? I feel your pain! I was going through the same dilemma until I figured out how to do this easy DIY.

    Then, with a paper towel lightly dab stain on your stone (or brick). The key here is to use very little so it goes into your crevices and cracks.

    I highly suggest doing smaller areas at a time so you can then use a clean paper towel to rub excess stain off.

    Easy DIY Mantle Update

    And that’s all! Super simple, and the hardest part was just waiting for your paint to dry. Gotta love an easy project!

    Now, go into the world and create something extraordinary this weekend! In fact, I want to know about it. Send me a photo by email ([email protected]), Facebook, or even Instagram.

    I love hearing from you, and want to see what is helping you stay creative and inspired!

    Happy Friday πŸ™‚


    4 Comments

    About LZ Cathcart

    LZ is an artist who loves creating illustrations, custom hand lettering and patterns for gifts, home decor, fabric, and wallpaper. She is also the creative mind behind The Summery Umbrella where she shows you how to make handmade signs, various DIY projects and gorgeous home decor.

    When she’s not dreaming up new projects and designs you can typically find her drinking her fair share of coffee, hanging out with her super handy husband and her sweet and sassy daughter. They all have a hard time sitting sit so this family is constantly on the go!

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    Comments

    1. Jenn says

      February 10, 2017 at 11:33 am

      Looks great! I so want to paint our stone (it’s the 70s type giraffe stone but has the same colors as your original stone). Wonderful inspiration for me to take the plunge!

      Reply
      • LZ Cathcart says

        February 11, 2017 at 9:23 pm

        Hi Jenn! I definitely think you should. I was a little nervous at first, but it turned out so much better than I could have imagined. Soooo worth it πŸ™‚

        Reply
    2. Christine Vandormolen says

      February 10, 2017 at 12:00 pm

      Liz, wow this looks totally professionally done! Super change!

      Reply
      • LZ Cathcart says

        February 11, 2017 at 9:13 pm

        Thank you so much, Christine!! You are too kind πŸ™‚

        Reply

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