fireplacepaint-removal
As you can tell from the photos below, there is still yet some paint residue, like a foggy layer on top of the brick. We're not sure what the best way to get this off or if this is about as good as we can get it. Looking for adivce like maybe some other chemical or a way to polish the extra mile. Any advice or recommendations?
PS: We used "Multi-Strip" from Home Depot to remove the other layers. Have used steel brush, scraper, and water and sponges.
If it were me. I'd get some transition molding, with a profile like this.
I'd then set up my table saw to rip the piece, to remove the angle profile on the back edge.
Which would give me a profile like this.
Once I had my molding ripped to size, I'd create a border around the hearth using 45° butt joints.
When installing the flooring, I'd stop short of the hearth to compensate for my expansion gap and the thickness of the moldings leg (the piece that hangs down). Once the flooring was installed, I'd install my molding.
The molding allows the floor to expand and contract, while also providing an attractive transition between wood and brick.
Note: If you match the molding color to the flooring color, the transition will be less noticeable.
Yes you can paint them. You will need to use a heat resistant paint. Your options for paint will be limited at the Big Box Stores. I would look at either automotive engine paint at the local autoparts store or paint specifically for stoves from a wood/pellet stove dealer. My guess is that color choice will be limited. The glass need not be removed. You can mask it off with tape and remove the tape later. The results may be better if you remove the tape prior to the paint curing as the edges will be less likely to chip. You will get a better finish with the glass out but it may be difficult to remove. Some models hold the glass in with trim pieces held with screws. Other models crimp a metal lip to retain the glass. Recrimping the lip tight enough to get a good seal might be difficult to do at home.
Best Answer
Subject to various caveats, either a heat gun (electric) or a torch (fuel/air) might help.
...If you have not already tested if the paint on there was lead-based, do that, and if it was, don't do this.
...Ventilate really, really well. Even without lead, likely to be a bunch of stuff you don't want to breathe coming off. A charcoal filter (organic fumes) respirator might be a very good idea as well.
...Don't burn the house down. The brick won't burn but working along the edges can be risky.
Painting brick is one of those things that is easy to do, and VERY hard to undo.
While I doubt it, being paint, you could experiment with an acid on a small patch - probably vinegar (acetic, 5 or 10%) as being relatively low hazard and probably already in your house. Muriatic (hydrochloric) is more common in masonry uses and stronger, but also more hazardous. In either case follow label instructions and neutralize with a baking soda and water solution or other base when done. But that's more for cleaning any "mortar haze" off the face of bricks from the mortar in the joints, and I doubt it would help much with paint residue.