Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - how to refinish a concrete mantel on fire place

I have a concrete mantel on my fireplace and would like to change the color and look of it. I would like to use the stone look paint that is out but am not sure it should be used so close to the fireplace also would really rather brush paint than spray paint. Any ideas on how to change it. it is up off the ground about a foot.

Also any good ways to remove semi gloss paint from pink brick the brick is very rough, any ideas or help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

A properly place mantle would be up out of danger from the fire in the fireplace. You could finish it almost any way you would like.

Actually, even the hearth would not be a problem. Once the paint is dry there won't be anything to burn unless the fire gets out onto the hearth. Then there are other problems.

HTH

I have faux finished several cast stone manels, and I used thinned latex paint, sometimes with a glazing medium. The trick is that the cast stone absorbs a lot of the paint when you thin it too much, but it looks painted if you thin it too little.
Use a natural sponge or wadded up rag to apply the paint, and use several shades of the same color to get the most natural look - add a little bit of darker or lighter paint to the basic mix. Wait until it dries to decide if you need more color because the tone changes a lot as it dries.
If you make a mistake, spray water on it while it's still wet, and the paint will absorb into the stone.