Update Your Mantle and Brass Fireplace on the Cheap!

Look at all that bronze {cringe}. 

After moving into our new house, one of the first things that needed updating was the very large, and very ugly mantle and pellet stove/fireplace. I'm going to show you HOW to DIY this bad boy and make yours look just as amazing. Ready? Lets go.  

BEFORE (but imagine the top of the mantle is oak...)

Like this...

Bye-Bye OAK..... 

The top of our mantle was odly... oak. While the rest of it was a nice, crispy white. They must have run out of white paint? Anyway. That is STEP ONE. PAINT. We went white. It lightens, brightens, and adds dimension. 

Brass BE GONE. 

STEP TWO de-brass honey! This was CRAZY simple.​

1. Remove the glass face of your pellet stove or fireplace.
2. Use painters tape to tape off the glass and protect from paint.
3. Apply 2-3 coats of Rust-oleum HIGH HEAT spray paint. 
4. Let dry and remove tape. 

Spruce up that back-splash, babe! 

Now this was the hardest part of our little project. STEP THREE. Getting rid of that atrocious pink tile and replacing with a tan Herringbone Marble backsplash. 

1. Pick and purchase new tile and materials. List here. Now you won't need a tile saw if you choose a mesh backed tile that will allow you to cut to size with sizzors. If not, you can rent one from your local Home Depot or hardware store. 
2. Remove old tile. Here is a tutorial for ya. 
3. Apply new tile! I make is sound so easy. Haha. ;) Here is another tutorial. 

Up until the Decoration portion below, to update the mantle, backsplash and brass fireplace we had  spent LESS than $115! Now talk about a cheap upgrade right?! 

Decoration TIME! 

Now the fun part (in my opinion)! STEP FOUR. Decoration time! Now I even made you a pretty picture so you can see how to set up an awesome theme with lots of dimension. 

1. Anchor - A large piece for the center of your wall. This can be a mirror, a picture, anything. Just make sure its BIG. 
2. Weight - This is something mid-sized that usually goes on both sides of the mantle. In our case, we picked a large "G" for our last name and we painted it grey-white-wash and vases.
3. Fillers - Fun stuff to fill the middle of your mantle. We have a metal 'cheers' from Hobby Lobby and picture frames. You can also use books, candles, small plants , etc. ​

And WA-LA! FINITO, Fabulous! 

Have FUN and enjoy your new bright, gorgeous mantle and non-brassy fireplace! And enjoy the fact that you did it on the CHEAP! ;)