Antique fireplace tiles

I'm stripping the tiles on my fireplace and I'm not in love, but its better than the white, maybe

Jasco Paint and epoxy stripper is taking the first layer of paint off, Easy Off Oven cleaner is taking the primer off (massive mess, btw)

I can't tell if they are clay, porcelain, or something else. The house was built about 1907/1908. I cant find similar tiles.

Ultimately Id like to use a wet look sealer on them to darken them up a bit and give them a little shine.

Does anyone have experience with applying the wet look sealer to the tiles?
How much darker will they make them?
Is there a way to test what the wet look would like?

 

Can we see the mantle piece? The design will help determine age.

Debora

 

They look more like bricks to me. Also, I would work from top to bottom. Just mask-off what you have done and continue.

 

I'm thinking bricks also. Try looking at fire brick (bricks that can stand high temps) and try comparing to yours.

These are new but maybe something like these.

https://www.jantarefractory.com/sk-fire-bricks/

 

I know, I wanted to test a small section, just to see, then kept working upwards, just to see more

Aw, I bet that's what they are.
Boring.
(But thank you! )

 

I wasn't positive, but DH said the same thing as @Roaring20s & @say_it_slowly!!
Unless you've lived there that long, doesn't mean the brick is that old, kind of looks newer, as does the mantle.....

 

Over here, that would be an Edwardian fireplace with nice old firebricks. They won't need anything doing after stripping the paint off.

 

Edwardian would be about the right era..

I dont think the bricks need sealing, but they remind me of the brook trout, so I'd like to darken them just a little and give them a light gloss to help them *pop* and become more of the center piece of the room.


The hearth tiles are square, tan, ugly, and a few are cracked. I'm toying with the idea of tearing them out and doing a brownish tinted cement that would replicate the large stones on a river bottom, and staining the mantle back to a warm wood color.

I'm *hoping* it will tie the whole masculine "hunting room" look together.

 

I'd leave them be for a bit: the bricks, that is. They will darken down anyway and it will look more natural. I'd agree the mantle would have been a rosewood or mahogany colour. If you could find Art Nouveau tiles, they'd be right.

 

What causes them to darken down?
How long of a time period?

I ask because my other fireplace (painted over too) has these as well, and what little I can see from behind the surround appears to be darker and richer, which is why I had much higher hopes for these.

 

My sister had a house that I imagine was built in the 1950-60s that had light colored bricks around her fireplace similar to yours. At the time she wanted red brick so she use a thinned, carefully chosen color stain (possibly paint, don't remember for sure) and carefully dabbed/painted each one. The end result looked like natural red brick.

Just a thought if you were wanting to try a less ambitious attempt to change the look after the thick paint is off.

 

The problem with that stain is it's permanent.

The bricks darken with muck, basically!

 

I see no reason why this would not be original to the house. An oil-based stain would darken/color them, but as suggested, would be permanent. A paste wax might darken them a bit and would be less permanent. Should be able to remove with mineral spirits.