Tripod member believeralso asks:
I have a dark gray stone fireplace that I love, but I wish it were a different color. Is there anyway I can change the color of stone?

Handy Girl Karen suggests:
The following answer pertains ONLY to the outside of the fireplace, not the part that is actually getting licked with hot flames. So if it's the inside of the fireplace you're talking about, you'll need to ask someone who deals with them more intimately. This answer also assumes that the stones are bare, not previously painted or sealed.

What you can do in this situation depends a lot on what you don't dig about the fireplace color. If it's just too dark for you, you can actually paint right over it with a different color. You don't have to use anything special, just latex paint. Clean the stone first — do the best cleaning job you've ever done. Brush your favorite or most expensive item of clothing over it to test for cleanliness.

If the stones are light enough to change the color with a glaze (a transparent layer of color) you can go over them with a tinted acrylic polyurethane. Specialty paint stores will carry universal tints — it's what they use to mix their own paint. Some art stores carry pre-tinted "antique" glazes, but if you buy your own you can make any color you want. You need very little tint for lots of paint, so buy small, and only mix a few cups' worth. It doesn't take much. Then apply your urethane/tint mixture over the top with a sponge, rag, or brush.

This method can create a very pretty, varied surface over the stone. You can apply successive layers so different color patterns and shades emerge. Since you are dealing with stone, you may want to stick with earth colors — the kind with words like umber and sienna in their names.

Have fun, and put a drop cloth down so you don't accidentally paint your floor, too!

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