I’d been completely underwhelmed with the old faux marble fireplace that came with this house. In fact, the very first DIY I did when I bought the place was spray the little electric fire matte black (it used to be silver!) and paint the “marble” white.
It was a fine little upcycle and for the next four years I just kind of… forgot about it. It just blended into the background in the living room. Which, for a long time, was boring, stark grey because I didn’t have a clue what my personal style was.
As time passed I became more and more obsessed with all things DIY and home, and started to notice things right under my nose that could be improved (as we all have been doing for the entirety of 2020βpresent).
And with that, I got a vision of what I wanted this shy little fireplace to become. I wanted to soften it with an arch, bring a handmade feel to it and make it the main focus of the living room. And, of course, it had to be on a budget.
If you’ve got a tired old fireplace too, read on β because I’m going to show you exactly how I achieved all of those things through four simple DIYs that almost anyone can do. Let’s get into it!
There are some affiliate links in this post, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through them, at no cost to you. It helps me to keep bringing these projects to you!
DIY #1 β Adding an arch
The first port of call was getting that arch shape I so badly desired. I was inspired to do this by Becky from the infamous The Sorry Girls, who gave her own fireplace a makeover in this video.
I decided to use plasterboard for the arch instead of MDF or plywood, purely because the price of both have been so ridiculously high lately. Plasterboard is super cheap and would be safe enough for my project because I don’t actually use the fire for heat purposes, only for the cute flame effect!
What you’ll need
- Stanley knife
- Jigsaw
- Plasterboard
- Adhesive (e.g. liquid nails)
- Ready mixed filler
I cut the plasterboard to size by using a sharp Stanley knife then snapping it. Then I marked out the size of the electric fire so I could start mapping out the arch shape.
To get a nice round arch, tie a piece of string to a pencil and hold the string in the centre of where you want your arch to be, and draw!
I cut the arch shape out using my jigsaw.
It’s worth mentioning that I did the arch in two separate pieces purely because I was too lazy to grab a trolley in B&Q for the bigger sheets!
With the arch cut, I glued both pieces to the fireplace with construction adhesive. Liquid nails would work for this too, I just happened to have this strong stuff lying around in my workshop.
I made sure the white paint on the fireplace was sanded before this step, so that the glue had something to stick to. Be sure to give it a good wipe down with a microfibre cloth too, to get rid of any dust.
When the glue had dried, I moved onto smoothing over the gaps around the plasterboard with filler. This step was a bit fiddly to be honest because I wanted it to be as smooth a finish as possible. I ended up using the back of a teaspoon so get a concave curve.
Overall though, I was so pleased with how it was looking after that step, I couldn’t help myself from adding a reclaimed scaffold board to the top. I knew I wanted to incorporate it into the project somehow, but I wasn’t sure how… yet!
DIY #2 β Painting my way to a faux chimney breast
While I noodled the scaffold board, I took the time to order about 28 different shades of olive green paint in a bid to find the perfect one.
Of course I ended up going with the very first sample I picked up which was Bancha by Farrow & Ball.
What you’ll need
- Laser level
- Painters’ tape
- Primer
- Your paint of choice
- Paint brush and/or paint roller
With the paint colour chosen, it was time to line up the laser level.
Initially, I had planned to only paint the fireplace itself but the more I thought about it (i.e. spent all waking hours on Pinterest), I decided to be brave and carry the colour all the way up the wall above the fireplace.
Not just to the picture rail, either β all the way up to the cornice. I have to admit, I was nervous!
I did remind myself though that paint can always be painted over! So off I went on my merry way with painter’s tape and got painting!
Some of the details on my wall made it tricky β I had to use a really small brush to paint a straight line over the picture rail.
For painting the fireplace, I applied a coat of primer first to make sure the new paint would stick to it β and last!
And yes, that is MAFS Australia on the TV! Are you even DIYing if that’s not playing in the background?!
The next day, I got to see Bancha in all its glory and I was so pleased with where this project was heading. Carrying the colour up the wall felt like a bold move for me but I absolutely love it!
And I had plans for the hearth, too. I’d managed to score a wallpaper sample that looked just like small, hexagonal tiles that would be perfect (and save me a lot of money on actual tiles).
DIY #3 β Building a solid wood mantle
For now though, it was time to tackle the reclaimed scaffold boards. By this time I had decided to build my own faux hearth that I could simply sit on top of the fireplace.
It’s worth noting that I based the cuts on the depth and width of my own fireplace, you may need to adjust the below to your own needs.
What you’ll need
- Scaffold boards
- Mitre saw and/or circular saw
- Speed square
- Pocket hole jig (optional)
- Pocket screws (optional)
- Wood glue
Cut list
- Front board: 1370mm x 165mm
- Top board: 1370mm x 220mm
- Sides: 215mm x 133mm [2]
I cut the boards down to size with my mitre saw. They were a little too wide in their original state too, so I narrowed them down on my table saw β you can do this with a circular saw if you don’t have a table saw.
Then I added pocket holes about 4 inches apart all the way along one side of the top board.
I also added two pocket holes to one side of the two side pieces.
Then I wood glued and pocket screwed everything together and left it to dry overnight.
In hindsight, I should have added pocket holes and screws to two sides of the side pieces and attached them to both the top and side boards. Over time, the wood warped a little (which is normal!) and since I’d only attached the side pieces to the front board, the a gap started to appear where the top board should have been screwed on. I had to go back in with wood glue, pocket screws and clamps to straighten it back up.
When everything was dry, all I had to do was slide the new mantle on top of the existing fireplace β I made it a snug fit so that no screws or fixings would be required!
I would always advise to take extra safety measures depending on your personal household situation β we don’t have and kids or pets that could potentially knock things like this over. Please be safe according to your own needs!
DIY #4 β Adding faux tiles to the hearth
Then it was time to move onto wallpapering the hearth to give it a tiled look.
What you’ll need
I gave the hearth a light sand to create a key, wiped clean with a lint-free cloth. Using the spray adhesive, I worked in sections to lay the wallpaper and cut it to shape using a sharp blade as I went.
To give the edges a neat finish, I applied black washi tape all around the hearth.
The final step was to protect it. For this, I painted Mod Podge all over the wallpaper. It might look a bit scary when you first apply it, but it dries clear and works as a great barrier against any damage. Just be sure not too add too much, you don’t want to saturate the wallpaper.
And we’re done! We’ve just completely transformed our fireplace!
I couldn’t be more pleased with how this project turned out. With some simple, cheap DIYs I’ve been able to change the focus of this entire room. I love that the olive green absolutely captures the attention as soon as you walk in. It feels so cosy at night with the faux flames on, too!
Thanks so much for reading!