Fireplace makeover

Before


After


Ignore the cords from the tv, John is going to hide them. He just hasn't gotten to it yet. They look quite messy.
I hated the marble that was originally on our fireplace. It was stained and I didn't like the color at all. I had heard that you could paint over marble as long as you sanded well before and used certain kinds of paint. So I sanded the marble really well and I got some black stove and grill paint that can withstand really high heat. I like it a lot. The only problem is it takes so long to dry and a fly got stuck in it when it was still tacky. I tried to pick him out, but parts of him remained. His legs and wings are forever embedded in it. I might sand it lightly again in the future and put another coat on. I felt a little guilty about painting over marble, but it really was ugly and now it doesn't look painted, it just looks like black marble or granite.