Exposed Brick Fireplace

It was a blessing in disguise that i couldn’t get a plaster in before Christmas, as while I was thinking about our dining room/ ‘grand hall’ over the holidays,  I came up with another idea for the fireplace…

If we removed the crumbling old plaster we would have a nice exposed brick chimney breast that would add texture and focus to the wall.  I want the front living room and this room to feel quite different, with the living room being more formal and Victorian in style, and the dining room feeling more casual and tough. The idea of getting back to the raw brick work in this room, and leaving the fireplace opening framed only by the brick soldier course therefore appealed to me. (My quest however for a suitable fireplace solution for the front room continues…).

After watching a few youtube videos on how to remove plaster from brickwork, we were ready to go!  First up we sealed the room entirely with our plastic drop sheet and masking tape – removing plaster is dusty business. We had a late start at 11:30am and by lunchtime, just two hours later, had chipped off half of the plaster.  We finished up, covered in dust, with about 20 carrier bags of rubble, at 4pm. Job done!

I  haven’t decided whether to leave it as is, white wash it, or paint it opaque white, but I will make that decision once the walls are painted.