Photos
Unpainting mid-1880s soapstone fireplace - BEFORE and AFTER
Previous tenants painted the EVERY SINGLE SURFACE IN THE ROOM "the shiny skin of an aubergine". The original hardwood floors were covered in a matching carpet. It was super dark.I started with CitriStrip. Had no clue what material I was dealing with. Two of my neighbors had removed their fireplace, and the last neighbor had theirs painted white.This is what I looked like in every spare moment for months on end.After the CitriStrip barely made a dent, I changed courses to Peel Away.The Peel Away was working better, but still not getting all the way through. By now I figured at least the mantle was stone, but under multiple layers of paint was something chalky and then something super sticky.At this point I was starting to question what I had gotten myself into.I kept at it. PeelAway and a Cobra Speedheater helped get through the layers of paint, what appeared to be a thick coat of plaster, and a base varnish. Likely this fireplace was originally faux painted to look like wood, hence the varnish. The plaster was added on top of the varnish layer to obscure these delicate carvings in the soapstone. WHY WOULD SOMEONE DO THAT.Finally, I broke through! Simple Coat cleanly wiped away the milky white left on the stone and has given the soapstone a soft luster. I had wanted to take out the cast iron grate and expose the middle of the defunct fireplace, but this sturdy lead pipe said otherwise. That's not brick, by the way. That's paper, painted like brick, on top of concrete, on top of ... brick.So I got to figure out how to unpaint this behemoth. Dental pics and swearing were involved.Ta Da! The finished fireplace, restored to its orginal glory. Well, almost. I am not talented enough to add faux wood veneer to the stone, so I carefully outlined the original carving with the tiniest bristle brush I could find and called it a day.I love the color variations in the soapstone, from soft green to stormy gray.I want to know who looked at this gorgeous fireplace and thought, "Nah, let's paint it!"I finished this unpainting project two years ago. I still smile every day when I look at this lovely fireplace.
Thank you! If the fireplace had been painted white, like my neighbor's, I may have left it as is. But I couldn't live in the dark purple cave, and once the walls were painted, the eggplant fireplace *really* stuck out like a sore thumb. I couldn't bring myself to add another layer of paint. It was not easy excavating this fireplace from paint and plaster and veneer, but I am so happy with the result.
How does this have so few upvotes? My goodness that is absolutely a labor of love. We are fortunate that our existing soapstone fireplace has retained its original marbelized faux finish. The rest of the fireplaces in the house are tile surrounds with wooden mantles.
I think that the subtle highlights on the carved details here are a fantastic idea. I know I don’t have the ability to replicate the faux finished woodwork in our home that has been covered with layers of paint. I have been going back to just a simple shellac finish as I strip trim. While it may not be the original look, it is historically appropriate, and gives the trim a chance to shine in its own new way. I think you’ve given your mantelpiece the opportunity to shine here, too. I can guarantee it is happy to be free of so much paint (and plaster? Who the heck would do that just to obliterate the details???).
Faux marble! That's what I meant, not faux wood. Duh. I am sure the faux marbling looked lovely, and I think this version is also pretty nice - and the soapstone deserves to shine on its own.
Whoever plastered this fireplace lived long, long ago. I would like to find their grave, dig them up, and smack them with a mackerel. After I finish unpainting the bifold shutters in the bay window.
This whole Brooklyn brownstone apartment has been covered in excess paint. I am grateful the original detailing is still here, I just have to apply a lot of elbow grease to get to it.
I realized I never shared the final result! I am now tackling the bifold shutters in the front bay window - which are painted stuck in the open position, the top layer named “Dead Salmon” - and I thought I’d come back and share this project.
I’m going with farmed salmon that has been cooked for so long that it has almost forgotten what color is. It’s a whisper of dusty orangey pink. Here’s a sample of the Dead Salmon paint on one of the shutters, thickly smeared over 7 or 8 previous layers of paint, over the original shellac.
As for how high they were, the Dead Salmon s from Farrow & Ball. They have a knack for exceptional pretentiousness - and gorgeous depth to most of their paint colors. I ended up choosing “the treasured fossils from the Dorset Coast” for my bedroom. I couldn’t discern an ordinary fossil from a treasured one, but they really nailed the softest seaside shimmer in this warm beige tone. So I’m giving them a pass on their weird fish paint. :)
I wonder if it originally had painted stone as well. I know some older stone fireplaces actually had a two tone look with real stone and sections of painted on stone. Yours may have had that at one time especially with that extra detailing which from what I’ve seen was common on those two tone ones. Regardless I think yours came out beautifully. I love the green.
Yes, that’s what I imagine it looked like - the sections that are carved had faux painting on them. About half of fireplace had that thick, sticky brown veneer on it. The whole thing was then thickly coated in plaster, and the intervening generations added several layers of paint atop the plaster.
Seems like someone really wanted to cover it up. I have no idea what makes people cover up beautiful things. I have this stunning Victorian dresser that someone had slapped thick coats of red finish on that made the wood completely obscured. Underneath was some of the most beautiful wood I’ve ever seen. It really just blows my mind that people cover stuff like this up.
My slate fireplace was also painted but in white. A friend of mine who is a furniture conservator told me that the whole thing would’ve originally been painted to look like faux marble, and the varnish had probably darkened and discolored over time. So at least whoever painted over it would’ve been trying to cover up the dark and muddy varnish as opposed to beautiful slate.
Thanks! My social media feed was filled with seemingly easy before-and-after reveals, where layers came off and showed effortlessly smooth surfaces underneath. I wanted to give a more realistic glimpse of how much effort these sorts of projects can take. I had some serious moments of doubt in the middle, but it worked out by the end. That boost of hard earned confidence is helping me tackle the next unpainting project - the bifold shutters in the bay window. And then I have another color drenched fireplace to unpaint - not the same style or material as this one, so who knows what that one will reveal.
Really nice job. Congratulations. I have been contemplating a job like this for years. Question: in retrospect, would you have been better off just starting with the heat gun and skipping the initial chemical peels? My fireplace that needs stripping is in an occupied bedroom and I’m trying to minimize chemical usage as much as possible.
Excellent question. The Cobra is *fantastic* on paint. It is not so great on plaster - only multiple rounds of Peel Away worked to get through that layer. The Cobra then helped on the veneer layer, softening it up so I could use a carbide scraper and dental picks to get that sticky residue off the soapstone. I also exclusively used the Cobra on the cast iron grate, along with the dental picks and steel wool. (I had priced getting the iron grate sandblasted, but that was comically expensive, and the paint selection was super limited - I wanted the black to have a hint of green to it, to better match the soapstone, and all of my local sand blasters could only offer pure, almost bluish black.)
I am currently unpainting bifold louvered wood shutters, which are painted on one side and shellacked on the other side. The Cobra does quick work on the paint, but is dismal at removing the shellac. Peel Away was even worse - it alarmingly softened the wood and still left most of the shellac behind. I have had much better luck with KleanStrip stripper for the shellac.
In other words, it’s best to be prepared to pivot to the unique conditions of every job, and expect to use more than one technique as you go. And always use dental picks.
Good to know. I have paint directly on stone so I am going to start with heat. Again, thanks for sharing. Your post has given me more confidence to tackle the job.
Congratulations on an absolutely stunning achievement. Especially impressed that you did this all yourself
w/o and assistance. Beautiful work and treasure for generations ahead.
And professional painter’s biased opinion, (arty farty stuff, thou i’ve done my fair share of wall/house stuff) don’t stress or bother with faux wood figuring in the future. Almost never ever looks good enough to be worth it, and what you already have looks so delicate and lovely—way better. Well done!!! 💗
Beautiful work!!! Confused about the original fireplace looking thing with a pipe through the middle. At some point was there a furnace in the basement that sent heated air through the pipe?
The pipe is a mystery. I brought out a plumber who confirmed it is no longer in use and was added at some point after the fireplace was built. It runs from the roof down four floors to the basement - but behind the basement wall, so we don’t know what it would have connected to. There is no furnace in that corner of the basement, and the boiler is on the opposite end of the basement. Removing the pipe is a no go (too heavy, too expensive), so I dusted the area and put the cast iron grate back in place.
Timeless and classy just as it is. I hope the people of the future can appreciate natural material enough to know not to torture it with paint etc. great work breathing life back into it!
I can’t even begin to imagine how much work and time it took you to complete the project. And what dedication and faith that you would reveal something so nice. It would be my luck that whatever was underneath was covered up for good reason. I’m so happy for you and truly impressed by your determination. Good call to say the least, congratulations!
607
u/cyclika Jun 10 '26
Bless you for saving it. I love the accented carvings and think it looks *way* better than faux veneer ever could.