family room after being remodeled with new floor to ceiling fireplace design

7 Most Successful Ideas for Floor to Ceiling Brick Fireplace Makeover to Update Your Space

Floor to ceiling brick fireplace makeover is the one you need to do if there is a boring-looking wall-size brick fireplace in your space, maybe the one made by the previous homeowner of the house you are living now.

floor to ceiling brick fireplace makeover [before and after]

With the makeover, you can get a new and fresh look in your interior space while getting rid of something that is aching for your eyes to see or building up the wrong atmosphere in your area.

The best thing of all, the makeover can be done successfully as long as you know about the basic ideas to do the makeover.

There are seven most successful ideas you can give a try.

Those include updating the fireplace mantel, updating the shelves enclosing the fireplace, turning the brick wall into a regular wall, painting the brick wall with a new color, covering the wall-size brick fireplace with stone, adding an insert, and adding stone tiles to the hearth of the fireplace.

Further information about those seven most successful ideas as well as the explanation for each design can be found in the following. Plus, you will also see some picture examples of sources of inspirations.

1. Updating the Mantel

The first successful makeover idea you can do to your floor to ceiling brick fireplace is updating the mantel of the fireplace. This design is applied to both brick fireplace that already has a mantel and the one with no mantel.

For the fireplace that already has a mantel, of course, the only thing to do is replacing the old mantel with the new one so that refreshed look can result.

On the other hand, for the fireplace that does not have any mantel, you can just pick a mantel and pair it with the fireplace.

No matter which type of fireplace you have (with a mantel or with no mantel), one thing that is sure is that the idea to update the mantel will give something that you need. It is a new look for the brick fireplace.

The best thing about this idea is that right now there are so many choices of fireplace mantel available so the style that meets the interior design of yours can be found quite easily.

Other than that, the price range offered is so various, so if you want to spend less money, it is undoubtedly possible to happen.

floor to ceiling brick fireplace makeover with new clean white mantel
floor to ceiling brick fireplace makeover with new clean white mantel. image © johnnj

If you need an example of fireplace mantel updating idea to makeover floor to ceiling brick fireplace, you can check out the before-and-after picture above.

At first, the brick fireplace looks so dull because, apparently, it is just a very simple wall-size brick fireplace.

It looks like it does not have any mantel, but it has one. The mantel meant here is none other but the 3-row brick shelf in protruding style.

After experiencing a makeover, it becomes a brick fireplace with clear white wood mantel surround because the old brick mantel is removed and is replaced with the new one.

Besides, the floor to ceiling brick look is also changed because it is covered to form a natural wall that is painted in tan color.

On the lower part, it is also visible that the raised hearth of the fireplace is another part that is remodeled.

The old brick hearth is covered with stone tiles on the surface. The outer sides of the hearth are also covered with wood trim that has an entirely same color with the new fireplace mantel.

Based on all those, it can be said that there are three makeover ideas applied to the floor to ceiling brick fireplace.

Those are replacing the old mantel with new wooden mantel, covering the brick wall and painting it, and modifying the raised hearth to have stone tile surface and wood trim.

2. Updating the Shelves Enclosed on Either Side of the Fireplace

Some brick fireplace that is made on the floor to ceiling style is sometimes paired with shelves that are enclosed on either side of the fireplace.

This kind of shelves is not only meant for storage system because this also serves a decorative value to the whole interior space.

If by any chance this kind of fireplace with shelves is the one you want to a makeover at home, there is a simple but quite successful idea you should give a shot. It is none other but the plan to update the shelves enclosing the brick fireplace.

Especially for this idea, there are some makeover choices you can take into consideration. The first is the repainting the shelves color.

The second choice is remodeling the shelves design or height. The third option is combining the shelves makeover with the makeover that is done directly to the brick fireplace.

traditional family room design with floor to ceiling brick fireplace with wooden shelves on left and right sides
traditional family room design with floor to ceiling brick fireplace with wooden shelves on left and right sides. image © North Star Stone

To make this idea clearer, you can check out the example below.

Before the makeover is done, the wall-size brick fireplace is enclosed with shelves that are painted in brown wooden color.

If you see the color scheme of the family room interior design, of course also with the color of the brick fireplace and wooden shelves, a strong warm and traditional look is shown.

family room after being remodeled with new floor to ceiling fireplace design
family room after being remodeled with new floor to ceiling fireplace design. image © North Star Stone

After the makeover is done, it is so clear that some major changes result from the look of the shelves and fireplace is, so contrast than it is before.

First of all, let us talk a bit about the makeover done to the shelves.

The most apparent change done to the shelves is located in color.

If previously they have caramel brown color, the new look has a white color that seems to have a bit of gray undertone. This color gives the room more modern vibes.

Other than color, the height of the shelves seems to experience a makeover too.

As you can see in the ‘before’ picture, the shelves are not on the floor to ceiling design, and actually, the space left on the upper part of each rack looks quite irritating.

On the new design, the shelves are remodeled to have the floor to ceiling design, so there is no more space left empty on the upper part. Undeniably, this new look is way better than the old one.

Not only have the shelves that are remodeled in this wall-size bricked fireplace design. As shown in the picture, the brick fireplace itself also gets some fascinating changes.

Those include coble stone covering for the brick wall and the sides of the raised hearth and new stone surface for the hearth.

All these new details are in cloud gray color, which significantly changes the traditional look of the family room into a more modern look.

3. Turning the Brick Wall into Regular Wall or Tile Wall

The third idea to makeover your floor to ceiling brick fireplace has been mentioned in the first idea. It is none other but turning the brick wall into regular wall or tile to completely change the fireplace look.

The example of this makeover idea can be seen below.

before makeover floor to ceiling brick fireplace with mantel shelf, built-in enclosing shelves and long raised hearth
before makeover floor to ceiling brick fireplace with mantel shelf, built-in enclosing shelves and long raised hearth. image © Distinctive Mantel Designs, Inc

This wall-size brick fireplace is located in a living room. It is completed with built-in shelves and mantel shelf that are in the same tone.

The overall design of this fireplace is quite impressive. However, the look seems to be outdated and performing a makeover to it would be nice.

after makeover floor to ceiling tiles fireplace with built-in shelves with dramatic lighting, modern mantel and tiled raised hearth
after makeover floor to ceiling tiles fireplace with built-in shelves with dramatic lighting, modern mantel and tiled raised hearth. image © Distinctive Mantel Designs, Inc

Amazingly, the result of the makeover, as you can see in the picture above, is just fantastic. It looks different from the old brick fireplace, and of course, it can affect the whole living room design and atmosphere.

In this new design, the brick wall, which is a part of the fireplace, is made into a regular tile wall. The color chosen for the tile by the designer is neutral and so beautiful.

Other than the wall, the built-in shelves are also modified to have a higher aesthetic value.

The new shelves are completed with a built-in lighting system that makes the storage spaces look more dramatic and are merely perfect for displaying antiques.

The last but not least, the mantel shelf of the fireplace are also removed and are replaced by a more modern-looking mantel.

4. Painting the Brick Wall

This fourth idea can be said to be the simplest among all. It is because you only need to add color to the brick fireplace by painting it.

By painting the brick fireplace, you will not only be able to get a new look for the fireplace. Instead, you will get something that can be matched with the theme and color of your home interior. In other words, this can be a good idea to enhance the interior look to be better.

For example, you can check out the before and after picture of the brick fireplace below.

before makeover floor to ceiling red brick fireplace
before makeover floor to ceiling red brick fireplace. image © Decorator On A Shoestring Budget
after makeover floor to ceiling grayish brick fireplace
after makeover floor to ceiling grayish brick fireplace. image © Decorator On A Shoestring Budget

In the pictures above, it is shown that the only makeover did color changing makeover. It can be said so because there are no other new things that are added to the brick fireplace.

About brick fireplace repainting project, there is another option you can choose to change the fireplace color. It is none other but color-washing.

If you choose to color-washing the brick fireplace, you need to know that the result will be different from repainting.

Usually, the final color resulted has the sheer characteristic that the original color of the brick fireplace can slightly be seen.

5. Covering the Floor to Ceiling Fireplace with Stone

The next idea that is also recommended for you to take into consideration is the idea to cover the floor to ceiling fireplace with stone.

Right now there are quite a lot of natural stones offered to be used to create stone veneer for wall covering. Of course, this also includes the floor to ceiling brick fireplace that we discuss mainly here.

The variety of natural stone available is not only limited to the stone types but also color. Again and again, this gives you ease in choosing stone veneer that is most suitable for your home interior design and color scheme.

before makeover floor to ceiling red brick fireplace with white mantel shelf
before makeover floor to ceiling red brick fireplace with white mantel shelf. image © Brown Bros. Masonry

For example, please take a look at the picture of the floor to ceiling brick fireplace above.

Before undergoing a makeover, the fireplace is a floor to ceiling red brick fireplace with white mantel shelf and wood brown tiled hearth.

As you can see quite clearly in the picture, the brick fireplace does not look quite neat. Besides, it has three different colors that do not seem to match each other nicely.

All these seem to be the main reason why a makeover is needed to make the brick fireplace looks better.

after makeover floor to ceiling natural stone fireplace with neutral wood toned mantel shelf
after makeover floor to ceiling natural stone fireplace with neutral wood toned mantel shelf. image © Brown Bros. Masonry

After being remodeled by covering the brick with stone veneer, you can see that the fireplace looks way better. It is not merely about the color theme that changes but something more detailed.

The final result of the remodeling makes the fireplace gains such a great classic, elegant look.

Besides, you can also see that there is no longer color incompatibility found in the fireplace design since the white mantel shelf is replaced with the one that has more natural and neutral wood tone. Besides, the raised hearth is also covered with the same stone veneer material for the sake of compatible look and color.

If you are interested in this idea, there is one important thing you always have to remember. It is none other but about whether or not you are sure to do the remodeling project on your own.

If you do know that you cannot do the project, of course, it is so much better to hire a professional party to do it for you.

Even if it means that you possibly have to use more money to make the makeover project real, it will be worth it since what you will get is not only good looking floor to ceiling fireplace but also its durability and strength.

6. Adding Insert

Sometimes, floor to ceiling fireplace does not come with an insert. Possibly, at first, the fireplace was built this way so that it got a more natural look.

When you have this kind of fireplace at home, and you are interested in performing some makeover to it, one of the best things to do is adding an insert to the fireplace heart.

This idea can be more precise if you take a look at the example below.

before makeover traditional floor to ceiling brick fireplace no insert
before makeover traditional floor to ceiling brick fireplace no insert. image © Classic Fauxs & Finishes

Before the makeover is done, you can see that there is no insert included in the raised hearth of this brick fireplace. The fireplace also looks quite simple because it does not have any mantel at all.

Besides, it also looks a bit dirty because of soot that may be caused by the use of the fireplace.

after makeover whitewashed traditional floor to ceiling brick fireplace with black insert with cover
after makeover whitewashed traditional floor to ceiling brick fireplace with black insert with cover. image © Classic Fauxs & Finishes

After the makeover, there are some significant changes can be found in the fireplace design.

The one that is related to the makeover idea that we talk about here is obviously the addition of new black color insert that is completed with a cover so it will not be easy for soot to make the fireplace looks dirty.

Another significant change can be found in this example is related to the brick fireplace color. It is quite obvious that the brick surface has undergone the whitewashing process, so it gains the beautiful white color.

The last change that is applied to this floor to ceiling fireplace is the addition of new mantel shelf.

This does not only make the fireplace design to look more elegant because of the choice of mantel color. This also adds more function to the fireplace design itself since with the mantel shelf items, such as decorations, can be placed on the fireplace for the sake of decorative value.

7. Adding Stone Tiles to the Hearth

The last but not least makeover idea you can perform to your floor to ceiling brick fireplace is adding stone tiles to the hearth of the fireplace.

If you choose this makeover idea, apparently you can make your fireplace looks more aesthetic and beautiful. Although so, you need to know that this is not the only benefit you will get.

If you add stone tiles to the hearth surface of the brick fireplace in your house, you enhance the strength and durability of the fireplace itself.

This is also the reason why stone tiles are the one recommended for you to choose more than any other types of tiles, which are not always right when it comes to fire and heat resistance value.

The example of this idea can be seen in the picture below.

before makeover tall floor to ceiling brick fireplace with raised hearth no insert
before makeover tall floor to ceiling brick fireplace with raised hearth no insert. image © North Star Stone

Before the makeover, the high floor to ceiling fireplace has a raised hearth, which surface is also made from the same brick material. Other than this, it is apparently visible that the brick material looks entirely worn out, so it makes the fireplace unpleasant to see.

The traditional look of the fireplace is also rather strong because it does not have any insert on the hearth.

after makeover tall floor to ceiling fireplace with black insert with glass cover and raised hearth with neutral tone tiles
after makeover tall floor to ceiling fireplace with black insert with glass cover and raised hearth with neutral tone tiles. image © North Star Stone

After the makeover project is done, the raised hearth gain new surface, which seems to made from natural stone material in neutral ivory tone. Another change that is also done to the hearth is that now it has a black insert that is completed with a clear glass cover so everything inside the hearth can be seen clearly from outside.

Another small but significant change done to the fireplace design is located on the mantel. The fireplace already has a mantel shelf before. However, the design is not so attractive.

The new mantel shelf is smaller than the old one. Although so, it has a more attractive design and more elegant color that suit the new stone veneer covering the brick surface.

All of the seven makeover ideas discussed in this post are quite simple but gives the significant result to the floor to ceiling brick fireplace design and look.

Even they are simple; professional help is needed in some ideas since not all people can do the brick fireplace makeover.

Another thing you need to know too is that most of the examples mentioned in this post undergo more than just one makeover idea. This is suggested for you to do for the sake of better-looking fireplace.