We now have a Stucco Fireplace Makeover Tutorial video on YouTube! Click here to watch how we tackled this stucco fireplace makeover project.

stucco fireplace makeover tutorial for beginners — We love how the stucco fireplace subtly directs the eye upward, to the vaulted ceilings.

Stucco Fireplace Makeover Over Brick

An easy stucco fireplace makeover is hard to beat. Sure, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with brick fireplaces. Brick, however, is one of those materials that just screams how much money was put into it. A nice, vintage brick, or good-quality modern brick can make a beautiful fireplace. Unfortunately, especially around the 60’s, many homeowners opted for cheap, trendy brick, which we hate today. This is exactly why we chose to do a stucco fireplace makeover on our brick fireplace. We had minimal plaster experience before beginning this project, so we are proof. Even a beginner can follow attempt a stucco fireplace makeover for awesome results.

stucco fireplace makeover with minimalist design — By painting our stucco fireplace white, it kept the living room feeling light & bright.

Minimalist Fireplace Design

We are 100% on-board with the less-is-more movement in home design. While textures and patterns can add to a space when used appropriately, they’re harder to mix than most people realize. We gravitate towards color palettes that are easier on the eyes than textures and bright colors. Because we love the minimalist, zen vibe, the brick fireplace in our living room had to go. There are tons of modern fireplace designs that use tile & wood (not really legal or safe, by the way), but we wanted something that would blend seamlessly with our 100-year old house. When we saw this stucco fireplace makeover on Fixer Upper, we fell in love with the look. Our walls are stucco, and I love the very gentle “sandy” texture of the rough plaster. We considered repurposing an old vintage mantel, but this would be pricey, and would chop up the strong vertical lines up to the vaulted ceiling, which we so love. So, our stucco fireplace makeover began.

Old brick fireplace before stucco fireplace makeover — Before: This is what our fireplace looked like when we bought the house. Puke, right?

Steps For A Stucco Fireplace Makeover

Frame the fireplace
Apply bonding agent
Add scratch coat of stucco
Apply finish coat
Perfect texture with sponge
Paint
Update hearth

Step 1: Frame The Fireplace, If Necessary

When we removed the built-ins around our old brick fireplace, we learned that the previous owners had placed cheap knock-off brick over the real original stuff. Unfortunately, we couldn’t strip this off and use just the original brick, since it wouldn’t meet code requirements. Instead, we left everything in place, and framed out the corners to be flush. This may not be necessary for your stucco fireplace makeover, if your fireplace is already the shape you’d like it to be.

Old brick fireplace rising to peak of vaulted ceiling. — After vaulting the ceilings and removing the built-ins, this is how the brick fireplace looked.

Step 2: Apply Bonding Agent

Plaster is an awesome product, when applied correctly. If it doesn’t have a surface to which it can grip, however, it will fall apart over time. For our stucco fireplace makeover, we applied the bonding agent to the brick and leftover plaster from the previous design.. Now, the new layer of stucco has strong adhesive to hold it in place.

Bonding agent used for plaster fireplace makeover on brick — The bonding agent was up for a few days, which looked super creepy to me.

Step 3: Add Stucco Fireplace Makeover Scratch Coat

Most modern plaster options need to be applied in two coats. The first coat is known as the “scratch” coat, or base coat. DO NOT make the mistake of trying to use Plaster of Paris for this job. It sets extremely quickly, and will make your life miserable. As your local hardware store for stucco or plaster scratch coat, and they can direct you to the brands in stock. Whatever you do, don’t make the common mistake of trying to use Plaster of Paris for a stucco fireplace makeover. You don’t have to worry too much about making everything look perfect on this layer, since a “finish” layer is coming up next.

Scratch coat of plaster used during stucco fireplace makeover — Ian applies the scratch coat over original brick.

Step 4: Apply Finish Coat

Once the scratch coat is set, it’s time to apply the stucco fireplace makeover finish coat. This is the layer that will be seen, so make sure to take your time and apply it all evenly. The goal is to have straight corners and an even layer of material. It’s okay to play around a bit with consistency until you find what works best for your application style. Most prefer to use a trowel to apply stucco. Work in sections, and after application the stucco, move onto the next step for each section before beginning a new one.

Beginner tutorial for easy stucco fireplace makeover. — The master at work. (Just kidding, we were totally learning while we were going.)

Step 5: Texture with Sponge

We wanted an overall uniform appearance for our stucco fireplace, but preferred a little “sandy” grain texture as well. By dabbing each section with a wet sponge, we were able smooth out the plaster before it dried. As an added bonus, this brings out the grain a bit more. If you prefer more of a “perfectly smooth” look to your fireplace, you may want to skip this step, and add an extra coat of thin drywall mud. However, imperfections are much more visible for the second technique. This way, our stucco fireplace makeover mistakes are barely noticeable.

Using sponge to achieve sandy texture for stucco fireplace makeover — Dab dab dab.

Step 6: Paint the Stucco Fireplace Makeover

Stucco fireplaces are a breeze to paint. All it takes is a coat of primer, and a coat or two of paint. We used a roller for both, and a brush to get the hard-to-reach corners. We went back and forth a ton, on whether we wanted a white or a charcoal black fireplace. Ultimately, we decided on white. I love it — it definitely makes the room relaxing and zen-like. However, if we ever want to do a second stucco fireplace makeover, all we have to do is add a layer of black paint to make a real statement. This design is super flexible with different seasons of home design.

Close-up of plaster's sandy texture during stucco fireplace makeover — Can you see the subtle sandy texture?

Complete stucco fireplace makeover over red brick fireplace. — Ta da! Time to add finishes & style.

Step 7: Update the hearth, if desired

Our previous fireplace hearth had sort of a nondescript red square tile. It was all warped and bowed, as well, since there was never a level layer beneath the subfloor and the tile. We removed the tile (and the concrete beneath it, which was no easy task). Next, we placed a layer of cement board over the subfloor, to prevent the tile from warping & cracking again. We chose a black, slightly-modern angular tile for our fireplace hearth, with a charcoal gray grout. Although we still have to add the transition strips to complete the look, our stucco fireplace makeover project is nearly complete!

Stucco Fireplace Makeover Tutorial Summary

All in all, it took us roughly two weeks to complete our stucco fireplace makeover. We did it while we were doing other remodeling projects (remodeling the kitchen, drywalling an office, etc.), so we think a stucco fireplace makeover could be done in a week or less. As with most projects, more time was spent researching and running back & forth from the hardware store than actual plastering. Have you ever attempted a stucco fireplace makeover? If so, we’d love to hear how it went!

Here is a link to the YouTube video we watched about a billion times before attempting it ourselves — it’s super helpful!

Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.