Hi, I just knocked down drywall in my kitchen to expose my brick chimney. It is old and rough. I want to clean it up and perhaps smooth it and keep it as natural as possible. How should I do this? What are the steps? I do want a finish on it , like a varnish of some sort? HELP!

So you want to leave the appearance of exposed plain brick, right? You can add a stain to improve the brick colors with index (http://www.permatint.com/home.html?gclid=CPiAi52Hg5kCFSVM5Qod81a7lw). You can also just seal it clear masonary sealer like Masonry Sealer | Waterproofs | Brick, Concrete, Exposed Aggregate, Block Walls - Superior Industries (http://www.superior-industries.com/aqua_crete_product_247.html?gclid=CN324L-Hg5kCFd1L5Qod13XTkg)