brightening up the 70's fireplace brick

My house in Cleveland Heights was built in 1920's, and came with a working fireplace taking up a third of the living room wall. The bricks have not been cleaned probably since the 70's, and the only way I could brighten up the space is by painting the bricks. It took two coats of masonry primer, calking, and three coats of paint, over seven days. My 2020 "shelter at home" project.

After one coat of masonry primer.

After two coats of masonry primer, calking (the brick had so many nooks and crannies), and three coats of paint later. The space in front of the fireplace was also raw brick, crumbling and hard to clean. I painted it a dark slate grey, using outdoor deck paint.