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Greetings. I have a few quick questions about my faux brick fireplace that I'm hoping to get some advice on.

My first question is about repairing. Our fireplace originally had a hideous mantle attached to the faux brick panel. Now that it has been removed there are large holes in the panel where it used to be attached. What should I use to fill in these holes?

My next question is about painting. The aforementioned mantle was painted after it had already been attached to the fireplace. So now the brick has dribbles and streaks of white paint all over it. Matching the original panel color is not a problem, but what kind of paint should I use to cover this?

Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

A picture might help. I'm not following what your asking here.

I'm with Sparky; a picture would really help. If the faux brick is just a thin paneling type material, you could probably glue a scrap of something to the backside by sticking it through the hole and then use Durham's Water Putty to fill in.

To explain, stick a piece of string through a small hole in the patch and use that as a handle until the glue sets up. With Carpenter's glue, it would probably hold the patch in place as soon as you positioned it. Let it cure overnight before doing anything else.

Durham's Water Putty is a great patcher! It is cheap and works well. In your case you could sculp to match. Also available as a Custom brand product. It sets up fast so don't wait around after you apply it!

Once patched, I would prime the whole thing with an oil-based primer like Cover Stain and then paint with whatever you wish.