Create cozy ambiance without a real fireplace with 5 clever ways to fake a mantel. From decorative screens to faux fire inserts, add charm to your space!
Upcycle your bookshelf and transform it into a faux fireplace mantle using this DIY tutorial and some MMS MilkPaint™.
Jenn Baker teaches you how to turn a bookshelf into a faux fireplace mantle!
Build your own faux mantle in no time with our free, easy DIY plans! Beautiful solid wood mantle can be painted or stained, add hooks for stockings at Christmas time. Sturdy and narrow for easy storage. Plans include step by step diagrams, shopping list, cut list and a real user video tutorial!
Build your own fake fireplace mantle with free DIY plans from Ana-White.com! This fake fireplace is beautiful with layered boards for interest. You can add a back to make it even more beautiful. This is a beginner project with step by step plans and diagrams to help you build it.
Now, onto the shiplap fireplace project! This total project cost Jon less than $100, partially because he had many of the supplies on hand already. He got this old fireplace surround from someone locally that was practically giving it away. It sat in his garage for several months as he thought up an idea for what to do
I have always wanted a fireplace and now I can say I have one! Well, a faux one. But that works for me. And I got it done just in time to start decorating for Christmas. 🙌🏼 I also have a place to hang out stockings now! Side note, these are my FAVORITE stockings made by my sweet friend Rendi from @thevintagebucket CLICK HERE for more details on them! I provided a list of the wood I purchased before the cuts and then a breakdown of the wood cuts you’ll need. Sometimes wood cuts can be overwhelming when you have a ton of them for a tutorial, so I am hoping this will lessen the confusion. Ok, let’s talk materials! Wood: (before cuts) 2 – 1 x 7 x 8’ 1 – 1 x 10 x 8’ 1 – 2 x 10 x 10’ 1 – 1 x 4 x 8’ 1 – 1 x 12 x 4’ 1 – 2 x 4 x 8’ Tip: I can only fit boards that are 8’ long or shorter in my SUV, so I had an associate at Lowe’s cut the 2x10x10 to 2 – 53”. You will probably need to do this unless you have a truck. 🤗 Bonus, this takes care of your mantle and base cuts. Wood Cuts: 2 – 1 x 7 x 44” – outside fireplace pieces 2 – 1 x 10 x 44” – outside fireplace pieces 2 – 1 x 7 x 32 3/4” – inside fireplace pieces 2 – 2 x 10 x 53” – mantle and base 2 – 1 x 4 x 31” – front trim 2 – 1 x 4 x 6 2/16” – front trim end pieces 1 – 1 x 12 x 4’ – center piece below mantle 1 – 2 x 4 x 4’ – inside support piece for mantle Tools & Materials: Miter saw Hammer Electric screwdriver Tape measure Level Kreg Jig Clamp 1 1/4” pocket hole screws 1 1/2” wood screws 2” wood screws 1 1/2” finishing nails Wood filler Orbital sander 120 grit sandpaper Paint brush Paint Note: For the paint I used SW Snowbound to match the trim. Step 1: Cut all the wood. Step 2: Using a Kreg, drill 5 pocket holes down one side of the 1 x 7 x 44” piece. Repeat on the other 1 x 7 x 44” piece. Step 3: Align one of the 1 x 7 x 44” pieces on top of one of the 1 x 10 x 44” pieces (the 7′ wide board should butt up against the end of the 10″ wide board) and secure them together with 1 1/4” pocket hole screws. Repeat on the other side. These pieces are the ends of the fireplace. See below for reference. Step 4: Lay the end pieces parallel to each other (with the 10” boards facedown) on a flat surface then place the 1 x 12 x 4’ along the top edge of the ends. The ends of the 12” board should butt up against the top and ends of the 1 x 10 x 44” pieces. See picture below. Step 5: Using 8 – 1 1/2” wood screws (4 on each side) secure the 12” board to the backs of the 10” boards. See above picture. Note: The opening of the fireplace should measure 31” from end-to-end. Step 6: Using a Kreg, drill 4 pocket holes down one side of the 1 x 7 x 32 3/4” piece. Repeat on the other 1 x 7 x 32 3/4” piece. Step 7: Secure the 1 x 7 x 32 3/4” pieces on the other ends of the front facing 10” boards using 1 1/4” pocket hole screws. These are the inside pieces of the fireplace. Once secure the center should look boxed in. I will refer to this as “the box” moving forward. Step 8: Lay the box facedown and align the 2 x 4 x 4’ along the back edge of the box, then secure it to inside of the box with 2-2” screws on each side. The screws will be on the outside of the box. I just painted over the screws, but you can use wood filler to hide them before painting if desired. See below. Note: As you can see I did not complete the steps in the order I am showing you. Mainly because I was building from scratch and had to adjust the frame several times. The order I am sharing with you is the most efficient way to build the fireplace. Step 9: Place the mantle (one of the 2 x 10 x 53” pieces) on a flat surface then place the box upside down on top of it, centered. You want to make sure the 2 x 4 x 4’ piece is aligned with the back edge of the mantle. Then secure the box to the mantle by using 5 – 2” screws. The hangover of the mantle should be on the front side of the fireplace. Step 10: (optional) secure the trim (2 – 1 x 4 x 31” pieces and 2 – 1 x 4 x 6 2/16” pieces) around the front center piece of the fireplace using 1 1/2” finishing nails. See picture below. Step 11: Secure the base. With the box upside down, center the base to the box with the back edge of the base aligned with the back edge of the box (the overhang should be in the front just as it is with the mantle) then use 2” wood screws to secure the base to the box. Step 12: Use wood filler to fill in the holes from the outside screws or just paint over them. If you use wood filler, allow the wood filler to dry completely. Then sand the fireplace to a smooth finish using 120 grit sandpaper. Step 13: Paint the fireplace. I used SW Snowbound paint to match the trim. I applied two coats of paint, then let it dry overnight before decorating. Step 14: Decorate your new faux fireplace! I bought corbels to add to the front, but not sure if I’m going to add them. They are a bit smaller than I thought they would be. So until I can figure out how I am going to incorporate the corbels, the fireplace will be left like this, which I am completely ok with. If you want to know how to make the garland CLICK HERE. Also, if you are wondering what the wall color is, it’s SW Evergreens. Doesn’t it look so pretty with the Christmas decor? I might keep this up year round. Just kidding, but I do love it! And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and find it inspiring to build your own. It’s definitely not the real thing, but I love it just as much. 😍 If you have any questions please comment below. If you use my plans to build your own, I would love to know about it! You can tag me on Instagram. My handle is @acarriedaffairdesigns Until next time. Xo
Build your own fake fireplace mantle with free DIY plans from Ana-White.com! This fake fireplace is beautiful with layered boards for interest. You can add a back to make it even more beautiful. This is a beginner project with step by step plans and diagrams to help you build it.
When we were in the design process for the house I thought skipping a fireplace would be a area that we could cut back, because we live in the south and how much would we ever use it. Function over form, however when we moved in the big wall was so empty and the tv looked awkward without some sort o
In this simple step by step tutorial, I show you how to build a DIY rustic farmhouse faux fireplace with mantel.
Jenn Baker teaches you how to turn a bookshelf into a faux fireplace mantle!
Build your own faux mantle in no time with our free, easy DIY plans! Beautiful solid wood mantle can be painted or stained, add hooks for stockings at Christmas time. Sturdy and narrow for easy storage. Plans include step by step diagrams, shopping list, cut list and a real user video tutorial!
DIY Faux Fireplace IT is starting to become that season, that season of decorating the fireplace with ghosts and goblins! Also, right after that, hanging the stockings and spreading some cheer. For lots of people, like my sister last year, they don't have fireplaces to do this. I made a faux fireplace last year for
Learn how to make your very own Faux Fireplace with a hearth. A great solution for those without a fireplace and a great way to cozy up your home...
After painting my faux fireplace mantel, I finally brought it inside the other day. I was so excited to get it in my living room and see how awesome it was going to look, how warm and inviting and cozy it was going to make my room feel. And it looked like this What? You aren’t blown over by my fabulous transformation? Yea, me neither. It looked so out of place and random stuck in the middle of my wall. And I hated that bright white outlet right there in the middle of it as well as the white baseboard running along the bottom. It wasn’t working for me. So I started brainstorming ways to make it look better. I looked into getting a fireplace screen to set in the front and hide the fact that there wasn’t actually a fireplace there, but those things are pretty darn expensive! And I just wasn’t all that excited about spending so much money (plus I was pretty sure I couldn’t convince Tim that we needed an expensive fireplace screen for our fake fireplace). So after some more thinking, I decided to get a flat board and paint it black (with paint we already had) and slip it behind the mantel to cover up the outlet, wall, and baseboard. I figured it wouldn’t be too expensive to buy a board and it was a pretty fast and simple fix, one that didn’t require a lot of cutting or construction, just some quick painting. And then it looked like this Much better, don’t ya think? The black board at least gives more of an illusion of a real fireplace than the wall with the outlet on it. It was definitely a step in the right direction, but it still didn’t give me all the warm fuzzies yet. Then, I read this blog by the nester. It was all about hacking decoration ideas from Pottery Barn. I was totally inspired to try out some of the ideas and start decorating my faux fireplace mantel with them. She had this image from PB on her blog and I figured that would be easy enough to recreate in my house. I even had some bottles, so I just needed the candles. After I bought some candles, I added my own touch to the PB idea by filling the bottles with acorns from my yard and wrapping the necks with twine. Here is another PB image that I liked I noticed the leaves tied around the candle, the apothecaries, and the nuts in the bowls. Here is my twist on their idea: I loved the idea of using things from nature, so I just went with that. I bought the vine wreath and added the fake berries to it to give it some extra color. Then I tied some pretty green ribbon to it and hung it over my mantel. I broke off the dried berries twigs from a tree in my yard and stuck them in the green bottles, which I already had. And then I added the pinecones (cinnamon smelling!) and nuts just to add some more depth and interest. And in the end, I think my faux fireplace turned out pretty good and it does give me the warm fuzzies now when I look at it. And the great thing is that it didn’t end up costing an arm and a leg to spruce it all up and make it cozy feeling. Now, if only I could actually light a fire in it when my mood strikes…. Oh, but I can!
