If you’ve been following me here, you know that our house has been a serious work in progress from the day we bought it. Here are pics from our house listing, but even after working on the living room, it still lacked character. Mike and I decided to tackle an easy faux fireplace for visual impact!
Full source list, wood cut list, and tutorial at the end!
We have that weird pop-out in the wall directly opposite the door that doesn’t really serve a purpose. We knew we wanted it to be a statement wall and mount the TV there. I researched online and found this tutorial from Home Depot about a faux fireplace surround and I loved the paneling on the sides of the fireplace.
First, we determined that our fireplace should protrude from the wall at least 8″. This way there was an actual depth to it and it added a bit more character. Also, in the future we could always find a gas fireplace to install in the opening. If not, I could decorate it with birch logs, candles, etc.
We had a lot of wood laying around and used a 2×4 as our frame. The 2×4 was cut into 8 pieces each 8″ long. These were mounted to the wall with brackets.
The top row of 8″ pieces would support the mantel and be the base layer of the fireplace. Since we were going to create depth/layer, it’s okay that these were not pretty/painted.
Next, we dry fit the sheetrock, which I was cutting while Mike put up the wood pieces. You can still see the wood on the sides and THAT IS OKAY! The sheetrock is not made to cover all of it since we’ll have the long pine wood planks there for more depth/texture.
Once the sheetrock was secured (and centered), we added the pine wood on the sides – pieces A in the instructions below. I used a 90 degree edger tool to make sure our corners were as close to 90 degrees as possible – if you can, pick one up.
Then we added the top support – see diagram at the end of this post which really explains step-by-step. The top support is piece B.
Next we cut all of the trim. For the trim, we used pine 1×2″ long 10″ pieces. We cut each one, not with a 45 degree cut, just a blunt cut. These added even more interest to the fireplace.
Since the fireplace was not flush with our pop-out, we cut sheetrock to conceal the sides and also added an 8″ trim on the bottom which blends almost seamlessly in with our baseboards. We want the fireplace to really look built in and like a part of the home – not just an add-on.
Even before finishing, I was already SO HAPPY WITH IT!
Next we mounted the mantel, using our nailer to secure it to the top row of four 2x4s. I added a quarter-round trim molding with a beautiful eyelet detail because it matched our dining room and I like the consistency.
We cut sheetrock to size for the interior of the fireplace shaft – remember, the fireplace is about 8″ from the wall so it’s a hollow hole you can see into. We covered it with sheetrock “side panels”
Then you caulk! I’m not kidding when I say that caulking makes all of the difference – it really can make or break your project. It hides seams, evens out just about everything. Take the time and caulk!
We decided to use a few leftover sheets of mosaic carrara porcelain floor tile we purchased for the mud-room. I didn’t want to buy more tile so we just used everything we had on hand. We still have to grout the tile, and cut in all the filler pieces but it already looks SO AMAZING!!!!!!!
Paint, grout, finish tiling, all of that to come but I can’t stop smiling at the transformation! It makes the living room feel bigger? more legit?
Time Commitment: Approximately 2 days (weekend project)
– 4-6 hours of cutting, framing, securing, etc.
– 2-3 hours caulking (including time waiting for the caulk to dry)
– 3-4 hours tiling: mixing your mortar, cutting tiles if necessary
– then paint!
Experience Level:
Intermediate – use of miter saw and nailer necessary
Handling of heavy materials
Materials:
(1) sheet of 4×8 drywall – any thickness
(1) 2″x4″ x 8′ – used as the support/frame
(2) 1″x10″ x 10′ – wood for the sides
(1) 1″x10″ x 6′ – wood for the top header
(1) 1″x12″ x 6′ – wood for the mantel
(1) 1.25″ x 8′ – quarter-round trim for underneath the mantel
(4) 1″x2″ x 10′ – outer trim detail
Selected Tools/Sources:
Hexagon Carrara mosaic tile
Tile cutter for porcelain and ceramic tiles
Caulk gun
Dewalt Pneumatic nailer – big time saver, easy to use, highly recommend!
Ryobi miter saw – great for all trim work, baseboards, we use it all the time!
DIY Faux Fireplace Tutorial File Below!
This is a great weekend project and is EASIER THAN IT LOOKS! Let me know how it goes for you – tag me, drop a link below, I want to see your work!
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