One thing that I have missed in the last two homes I’ve lived in is a fireplace. Unfortunately, many new homes here in Texas are being built without them. I suppose it makes sense since we have summer-like temperatures for almost 8 months out of the year. But I adore having a fireplace in my home, especially around Christmastime.
When I moved into this house almost two years ago, one of my dream DIY projects was building a faux fireplace in the living room. I didn’t have much hope of getting it done, but it’s something I continued to dream about and plan off and on. Then, about a month or so ago, I decided I wanted to just go for it. I had a good idea of what it would take to build it, and I had a lot of supplies already on hand. So I drew out my plans on paper, calculated how much lumber and other supplies I would need, and headed to Lowe’s to make it happen.
How I Built My Faux Fireplace
I couldn’t have gotten this done very quickly by myself. I was lucky to have some help. But this is a pretty easy and basic project that I think just about anyone can accomplish!
The first thing we did was build the base (or the hearth) of the fireplace. We wanted it to be about 60-inches wide, 22-inches deep, and 6-inches tall. We created a basic box with 2X4s and added extra lengths of wood inside the box to give it more stability for what would come next.
Once the box was built, we installed it in the house where the fireplace would rest, then added pavers to the top. I painted the pavers with a dark gray paint called Rugged Suede and let it dry.
Next, we built the box that the faux log insert would fit into. This box needed to be 24″ square and 16″ deep. I spray-painted some MDF board black and used that to frame the inside of the box. Then I found some amazing tile at Lowe’s that I used to create an unexpected pop of pattern and color inside the box. I really love how this tile turned out for this project!
Then we built the frame of the remainder of the fireplace around the box. We then put this skeleton on top of the hearth, where I began wrapping the fireplace using leftover cedar planks from my DIY cedar plank wall project. Once it was all framed out with the cedar, I stained it and let it dry.
The next morning I whitewashed the cedar planks, and while that dried, I stained the mantle. We chose to use a pre-cut board measuring about 5′ X 16″ X 3/4″ as the mantle. Eventually, I will create a thicker mantlepiece, but that was out of my budget for now.
Finally, we inserted the faux firelogs into the box opening, and that was it! After adding all my Christmas decor, we were done! And I couldn’t be more pleased!
I am totally in love with my new faux fireplace. I’m so glad I finally got this project done. And just in time for Christmas! This cost me only about $200 because I used leftover lumber and supplies. The most expensive item was the faux logs, and they are worth every penny.
For this fireplace lover, this is the next best thing to the real deal. It creates a wealth of coziness and charm to my living room, and I love how the style mirrors the cedar plank feature wall in the dining room. I’m so glad I got off my butt and got this project done!
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