If your home was built before Carter left office, chances are you're been blessed with a floor to ceiling brick fireplace that's perfect with plaid wall paper and plastic chairs.

The lava lamps may be out of the rumpus room but chances are the fireplace has retained it's original glory - or better yet - has been painted white.

What to do? Fortunately you have lots of options and the makeover can typically be completed without tearing out the existing brick.

Paint it. This is the cheapest and easiest remedy. You can take the focus off of the fireplace by painting it the same color as the surrounding walls. Keep in mind that this is a permanent change. Bricks are porous and irregular making paint almost impossible to remove.

If you decide to move forward, start by cleaning the brick with TSP (tri sodium phosphate) and rinse thoroughly.

Tape off any areas you don't want to paint.

Cover the brick with an acrylic primer. You can use a thick nap roller to cover the surface then go over the grout with a brush.

Apply a high-quality latex paint after the primer dries. You can paint the fireplace a solid color or layer colors by dabbing and blending a complementary color over the base.

Faux it. You can use faux techniques to make the brick look like a different surface such as stone or Venetian plaster. Typical costs run $600 to $1,200 for a 10 by 10 space for a professional job depending on the technique used.

Cover it. Give the fireplace a totally different look by covering it. Options include everything from drywall, paneling , or thin cut stone, to tile or cast stone pavers.

Add a mantel, hearthstone, or complete surround to any of these options to complete the transformation. Groovy.