Modern Fireplace Tool Set

When we first moved into the lakehouse, we couldn't find a spot for the fireplace tool set my grandfather welded so we spray painted the set left with the house and used that instead.  It turned out really well and looked so cute, but the handles were uncomfortably short, so our relaxing fireside evenings were punctuated with a lot of swearing as we singed our arm hairs trying to stoke the fire.

I love being thrifty - I relish the opportunity to make use of what I have and I love a good hand-me-down, but sometimes I just want something new.  We decided to look for a new set and started our search at Canadian Tire, because that's where we found the chic fireplace doors we purchased for the townhouse.  Sure enough, we quickly found a perfect, modern fireplace tool set:

It's the Preston Fireplace Tool Set, which also has a matching log holder.  The vintage iron finish almost disappears against the charcoal painted fireplace - which is exactly what I wanted.  The best part is that the handles are really long, plus there's a handy log grabber, which our last two sets didn't have.

You probably didn't notice a new fireplace tool set perched on the hearth in my tutorial for the bleached and dyed bottle brush trees (compare the photos above and below), but it's one of those little upgrades that just makes me smile every day!  I'm planning on hibernating for the winter soon so I'll be logging a lot of hours fireside, which I'll enjoy even more now that it looks a bit more sophisticated.

Disclosure: This post is a collaboration with my friends at Canadian Tire.  I was not prompted or encouraged to provide a positive review. 

Give a Fire Poker Set a New Look with Paint

In the spray painting frenzy I eluded to, a fire poker set left behind by the former owners of the lakehouse also got a dash of matte black Rustoleum high heat paint.  We actually already have a lovely poker set that my grandpa welded, but the tools hang from a stand that also holds a pile of firewood: 

We'd like to weld a new stand just for the tools, as we no longer need wood storage (what with the handy firewood cubby beside the fireplace), but in the meantime I thought we might just want to use the small little reject set.  However, the pieces had brass handles and were worn out.

First I gave the set a thorough clean with some soapy water and a scrub brush.  I rinsed it with clean water and let everything dry overnight.  Then I brought the whole kit + caboodle outside, taped off the bristles on the brush and used the Rustoleum high heat spray paint I used for the fireplace vents and doors (see the whole makeover of the fireplace here).  A couple of coats on each side, waiting two hours before flipping them over and spraying the other side, did the trick.  This paint has a super quick dry time (1/2 hour, handle in 1-2 hours), which makes for a quick DIY.

I like how the set disappears against the dark grey, newly painted stone because I will have art and accessories that I want to highlight instead.

You must ignore the disarray

I partnered with Rustoleum to update the fireplace vents and doors and was so pleased with the quality of the paint (and the smart, matte black finish) that I tackled this as a bonus project with leftover paint.  I was not prompted or encouraged to provide a positive review of Rustoleum high heat enamel paint.

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