Stained brick

[Wyz]

My fireplace has a dark brick face that looks to me to have been stained that color. Is there a cheap and easy way to lighten the brick.

[dpb]

Easiest and cheapest way to change color would be paint, but that doesn't achieve last part of the question, obviously.

If brick has indeed been stained, there is no sure-fire way, and certainly nothing that I'd classify as "easy". Depending on just how porous the brick is, it may be possible to strip/sandblast/etch some of the color away, but if it is a rough, porous brick there may be nothing that will make much difference w/o some serious effort.

You can go to an inconspicuous spot if there is one and try things like muriatic acid, various solvents/strippers, etc., and see if they make any difference, but be prepared for a mess and to have either little or no success at best and a real ugly looking splotch at worst besides the hoped for result.

The sand-blasting is the most safe in the sense of doing no damage to the existing surface that is really bad, but it's not simple in either application nor in trying to contain the debris so is rarely used indoors unless on a complete guts-out job wherein you might as well just replace the brick itself in many instances.

Just what you wanted to hear, I know... :)

[betsyb]

There is a gritty spray paint if you don't mind doing the whole thing. It comes in pretty nice colors. Much less mess than sand blasting.

[NickySantoro]

If stain was applied to a porous surface such as brick, it soaked in deep and is going to resist efforts to remove it. Sandblasting will be neither cheap nor easy nor likely effective. IMHO, your options are to prime and paint or let it go as is.