I am so excited to (finally) finish this faux fireplace tutorial for yall. This project is simple, and it’s not fancy. I love it because it is a basic, cheap DIY that you can easily take and mold to your own style. I keep our home decorated fairly clean and simple. I like a lot of straight lines, which ends up meaning that things are often easy to build. Things are also often easy to build because I am NOT a master DIY-er or handywoman (and neither is my husband). I am going to share with you how we did it. Disclaimer: I am sure there are more “official” or “proper” ways of doing it. But that brings me back to my previous statement. I am not a master. This way worked great for us! This is for anyone else out there who wants to DIY, but needs to keep it easy!
Materials needed:
- Level
- Tape measure
- 11-12″ wide wood, approx 1/2″-3/4″ thick
- 9″ wide wood, approx 1/2″-3/4″ thick
- 7″ wide wood, approx 1/2″-3/4″ thick
- Stain, if you plan on staining (I used this dark walnut)
- White chalk paint for the “weathered” effect (I used this one)
- Saw (I used a miter saw, but a table saw would also work) **NOTE** If you do not have a saw, get your measurements prior to going to hardware store, and they will cut the boards for you free of charge**
- Corbels (I got mine from Home Goods, but here are similar ones
- Small nails and hammer OR nail gun if you have one
- Paint brush/sponge brush
- Rags
- Sandpaper, if you want a rustic or weathered look
Instuctions:
- Gather Supplies. See above.
- Decide the size you want your fireplace to be. I built this for the space that I wanted to fill so your measurements may be different. Also take into consideration your baseboard size if you have them, and make sure to factor them in. My measurements are as seen below.
- Cut all wood to your chosen measurements. If you are having Home Depot cut the wood for you (this should be free of charge), then give them the measurements and have them cut.
- I opted to stain the wood prior to attaching to the wall, which would be this step. You can also stain after completing — this is up to you.
- Use gorilla glue to attach the two vertical wood pieces to the wall. These pieces of wood should be your 11-12″ wide wood. **Use level to ensure both top and sides are straight!** Nail into wall, stud if possible.
- Next, use gorilla glue to attach the horizontal back piece to the wall, directly on top of side pieces. See picture for visual aid. This should be your 7″ wide wood. Nail the top board to the wall in a couple areas. If possible, attach into studs.
- Attach corbels. Ours had a place to hang them, so we centered it, then used nails to hang them.
- Now you are ready to add the top mantel! This is another fun part because you can get creative with really thick pieces of wood, reclaimed wood, and more! As seen in the measurement picture, we ended up using a 3/4″ x 9″ wood cut to 68 inches long. Set wood directly on top of your back piece (the 7″ piece of wood). We used wood glue to attach it directly to corbels, and nails in a couple places. Our mantel overhangs the side of the fireplace by about three inches on each side.
- OPTIONAL: For just a little extra, we added a 7″ wide board cut a little shorter (about one inch per side) and stacked it on top of the bottom mantel piece. We used wood glue and nails to attach. Also, feel free to use wood putty or paint to cover any nails that show.
- If you didn’t stain prior to hanging, stain the fireplace as desired. We then sanded a little, and used a rag to brush on some of Rustoleum’s Linen Chalked Paint to give it a weathered look.
A few ideas to decorate the inside of your faux fireplace:
- Wood Slices
- Peel + stick wallpaper
- Tile
- Shiplap
- Faux Bricks
I have updated to porcelain tile (as seen in first image from this blog post! In other photos (such as the one right above), you will see a shiplap peel + stick wallpaper :). Same fireplace, different inside decor.
And that’s it! I hope you loved this. Any questions, just ask. And if you do it, tag me on Instagram @everydaykacie ❤️
Everyday Kacie 