Decorative portal for a plasterboard fireplace

To bring an element of luxury into your home, you can install a fireplace lined with natural wood or semi-precious stones, although this requires an appropriate interior and large financial investments.

Nowadays, there is an opportunity available to all connoisseurs of the hearth, modern technologies allow you to create a portal for a plasterboard fireplace, similar to a real design and decorated with any materials.

For this, there is no need to invite a stove-maker or a professional designer, you can build it yourself. In this case, you only need the desire to create a drywall hearth, the necessary tools, materials and faith for success! In this article, you will receive detailed, step-by-step information on the construction of the portal, from the idea to the final.

Well, interesting? Then let’s start!

The question that arises: how to make a portal for a fireplace with your own hands, at first glance it seems very difficult. Although in fact, after reading the information in the article, you will see that the construction of a drywall frame is available to anyone. This building will transform your apartment and bring warmth, originality and comfort to the space.

Required tools and materials

When building a portal for a fireplace, you do not need to have high-tech tools or professional equipment, for this it is enough to prepare the most basic:

• roulette;
• building level;
• pencils and markers;
• sharp knife;
• scissors for cutting a metal profile;
• screwdriver and screws;
• spatulas for decoration.

Attention! Be careful when working with sharp objects and enjoy the creative process.

*
The materials you will need to build the structure:

• drywall with a thickness of 8-12 mm, the size depends on the type of finishing materials;
• wall and guide metal profile;
• sickle ribbon;
• aluminum corner;
• putty, primer;
• decorative materials.

Hearth decoration

Before starting the construction of the portal with your own hands, you should consider design options in accordance with the interior and your own preferences. In this case, it is immediately worth deciding what will be in the hearth of a drywall fireplace.

Most often, electrical equipment is installed inside, creating an imitation of fire. Although you can create a decorative fire or set beautiful candles.

• For a medium-sized portal, the best option would be a monitor screen connected to computer equipment. The image of the fire flame will be transmitted via Bluetooth or USB cable.
• If you want to create a small fireplace, then it is advisable to insert a photo frame with monitor functions and broadcast flashes of fire into the portal niche;
• For a portal of real size, an electric fireplace is mounted inside the hearth, suitable for any room. It not only conveys the image of fire and the crackling of logs, but also heats the space.
• In the case when you do not want to install a semblance of a flame inside, you can decorate the hearth with decorative candles. The use of candles of various sizes does not create heat, but at the same time beautifully illuminates the structure, filling the room with romance and desired aromas.

Portal design

Before planning the structure itself, you need to choose a place where it is best to place it. Competently and correctly chosen place is an important stage of construction.

Familiarize yourself with the basic rules and recommendations:

1. first choose a room for installing a fireplace;
2. then find a place where the design is most appropriate;

• in a large room, it is better to place a wall-mounted fireplace in the center of a free wall;
• in small rooms it is more practical to build a corner fireplace;

Choose a place yourself, taking into account the style of the existing interior and the technical characteristics for the room.

Building construction drawings

A do-it-yourself plasterboard portal is a building that has its own dimensions, reliefs and shape. Therefore, it is important to think through each step in detail first.

First sketch a simple drawing on paper. If possible, build a layout of the project and mentally position it in the place of your choice. In order to create a scale model based on your drawing that will show the idea in reality, you can use foam and glue. It will allow you to calculate the required amount of material and help visualize the entire construction process. In the photo below you can see the option of creating a portal for the fireplace.

*
The forms at the portal can be of different sizes, but if you use an electric fireplace inside the firebox, pay attention to important recommendations:

The size of the structure must correspond to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe living room and the dimensions of the electric fireplace. Remember that a large portal can take up a lot of space in a small room and vice versa, a small structure will be invisible in a large room.

• In this design, it is necessary to provide ventilation for the release of heat in accordance with the instructions, therefore, the design of the fireplace is developed after the purchase of electrical equipment or taking into account the selected model.
• Choose the design of the portal in accordance with the design of the space. For example, the presence of antique lines, curlicues and stucco will look ridiculous in high-tech style; such interiors are characterized by clear lines, bright colors and a minimum number of decorative elements.

Finishing materials should also be chosen in advance, because finishing with heavy materials requires a more rigid fastening of the metal frame over the entire plane and the use of durable drywall with a reinforced profile.

Based on the requirements of technical safety and the style of the portal, convey in the drawing the exact design style that will become an individual feature of your design.

Creating a wall fireplace frame

The next important step is the creation of a fireplace portal from a metal profile. To do this, you should use the rack and guide rails.

The frame is mounted in accordance with the dimensions specified in the project. It securely attaches to the wall and flooring. Make sure that the frame has a strong bond of all parts. This recommendation is important for the stability of the entire structure. Drywall is easily mounted on a firmly erected structure and decoration is carried out. Remember! It is necessary to check the horizontal and vertical planes with a level so that the whole structure looks symmetrical.

Structural cladding

Elements cut out of drywall are attached to the finished frame; read the details of this process below in the description for the corner fireplace.

• If you use a simple decor for cladding, then you can attach one layer of plasterboard.
• If the finish is complex, using elements made of heavy materials, such as natural stone, then drywall is fixed in two layers.

It is advisable to sheathe the upper part of the portal — the mantelpiece with a double layer of drywall so that it can withstand any load.

The next important step is to putty the structure. To do this, you must first prime the surface, and then process the entire plane and every corner inside the portal with putty.

This process is carried out in accordance with building regulations, using sickle tape and perforated corner, which are detailed below, to describe the corner fireplace.

Construction of a corner portal

For small spaces, a corner fireplace is best suited, as it has a compact size and occupies a small usable area. You can place it in any corner of the room.

The base is erected according to a previously drawn sketch, comparing the dimensions of the electric fireplace with it and taking into account the ventilation distances between the frame and the equipment, in accordance with the passport of the electric fireplace.

Consider step by step the entire process of building this portal:

1. It is necessary to measure to size and cut the aluminum profile with scissors or a hacksaw.
2. Finished elements are connected with self-tapping screws for metal using a screwdriver. U-shaped elements are inserted into each other for fastening, as in the photo.
3. The frame is fixed to the wall surface with plastic dowel nails, at a distance of 50 cm from each other. To give additional stability to the whole structure, you can make a base for a fireplace that protrudes forward at a distance of 30 to 50 cm. At the bottom of this ledge, in a recess, you can equip a kind of woodpile.
4. Try on an electric fireplace to the finished structure, checking the dimensions and availability of ventilation gaps, as well as the method of connecting to the mains.
5. Cut the drywall in accordance with the dimensions of the sketch and fasten these parts with self-tapping screws to the frame. Twist them, deepening the hats into the material so that they are hidden when finishing.
6. The entire surface of the frame must be treated with a primer and allowed to dry completely.
7. At the outer corners, reinforce the aluminum mounting bracket with putty, then glue all the joints of the drywall sheets with sickle tape.
8. Now it’s time to putty the surface. When the putty dries, it is cleaned with sandpaper from bumps. Then they are again covered with a primer, and after drying, a finishing putty should be applied. A completely dried design is immediately ready for decoration.

decorative trim

The portal is the front of the fireplace, so pay special attention to the decoration process. For these purposes, you can use all kinds of materials:

• polyurethane stucco;
• decorative plaster;
• marble or granite;
• artificial tile materials having the texture of stone or wood;
• tiles, decorative tiles;
• gems;
• valuable woods.

Rememberthat it is the appearance of the portal that gives the aesthetic beauty of the whole structure!

It is important to choose the design of your fireplace in harmony with the interior of the entire room.

• Use materials that are found in the decoration of the surrounding space or textures that are combined with it.

By creating a fireplace portal from drywall with your own hands, you can bring originality and charm to your home. Such a fireplace will delight you at any time of the year, adding sophistication to the interior and filling your space with aesthetic beauty.