It is approaching that time of the year where you may be looking to do some updates to your interior design. In addition to spring cleaning, giving a new look to your den or family room can be a great way to spruce up the house. If you have a fireplace, you have a number of options for updating its design. If you want to give it a clean, fresh look, you can paint the brick or stone on the fireplace. However, painted fireplaces can end up taking away from the fireplace design if it is not done correctly. Here are some tips to consider when you are considering painting your fireplace.

• Completely clean the area to be painted - A painted fireplace design can be ruined, or not work at all, if the fireplace stones or bricks are not cleaned and prepped for painting. It is important to clean off any cobwebs or dirt so the paint will go on smoothly and look great.
• Use a proper primer - Oil-based primers are an effective way to cover up any soot stains that may be present on your fireplace. This will ensure that the stains do not bleed through the paint and ruin the design you are trying to achieve.
• Roll then brush - Begin with a roller to get some initial coats on the fireplace. Then you will need to use a brush to fill in some of the gaps or porous areas. It will take more coats for the textured fireplace then it would for a typical wall.
• Be sure about your decision - Getting paint off a fireplace can be a nearly impossible task. To avoid having designer's remorse, it is important to make sure that you are comfortable painting the fireplace. You should also know if it will match the rest of the room design for the foreseeable future.

Before you think about painting your fireplace, make sure that you have it professionally cleaned and inspected. This will ensure that your freshly painted fireplace is in top shape and is ready for use. Good luck and thanks for reading!

One of the most basic principles of fireplace cleaning and maintenance is removing ashes and disposing of them in an appropriate manner. However, many housefires are caused because fireplace owners neglect to empty ashes, or they are disgarded of in an improper manner. A recent news story in Maryland shows that ashes can end up being a very pricey issue if they are not maintained properly.

In Jarrettsville, Maryland, firefighters received a call for a fire at a single family home. Nobody was hurt in the fire, but the cost of the damage was estimated at $375,000. This was caused because of improper disposal of some of the ashses from the fireplace. Here are a few tips to remember when dealing with your fireplace ash cleaning and removal:

• Regularly dispose of ashes - Letting ash build up is bad for a number of reasons. The first is that it causes your fire to burn less cleanly which is not healthy for your family. The second is that is can cause risk for fire to escape from the fireplace.
• Dispose of ashes in a proper container - Putting ashes that are still warm in a plastic or other meltable container can cause damage to the container and increase the risk of a fire.
• Do not dispose of embers with ashes - The embers of a fire can re-ignite, even after the fire has been extinguished for hours. It is important to make sure that everything has fully cooled before disposing of ashses.
• Keep ashes away from flammable items - Simply throwing ashes in with paper and other flammable items is asking for trouble. Keep ashes seperate and in a safe container to decrease fire risk.

Use these tips to keep your fireplace maintenance safe and decrease any fire risks. Good luck and thanks for reading!