How to make a decorative fireplace with your own hands?

The desire to have a fireplace usually reflects a need for the cosiness and charm of a live fire. Fire not only creates a cozy atmosphere, but also soothes and pacifies.

Recently, decorative fireplaces have become popular, which do not heat the space, but create an imitation of a real hearth.

How to make a decorative fireplace with your own hands, which will become a unique interior decoration? Pretty easy! Any person can cope with this task, you just need to have courage, a creative approach to the process and have the necessary information.

Such a fireplace is built in an apartment, without using massive and expensive structures. It can be built from lightweight materials without creating additional loads on the floor.

A variety of building materials for a decorative fireplace is great.

layout

First, you should decide which of the materials is available to you and convenient for processing.

Look carefully and remember, maybe after the repair work you still have suitable unused pieces that will come in handy for work.

Knowing what building material the fireplace will be made of, you can start choosing shapes, sizes and styles.

Remember, the task of a decorative fireplace in the interior is to complement and decorate the existing style, and not contradict it.

An artificial fireplace can be made with imitation of firewood and flame. You can put an electric heater inside or build stands for candles and similar items that create a flame. Often, speakers are inserted into such a fireplace, transmitting the sound of burning firewood and the crackling of a fire.

The location in space depends on the type of fireplace chosen. Therefore, before starting construction, a scheme is planned and the desired design is calculated in detail.

For example, if you want to create a large fireplace with a heater inside, you should place it in the central part of the wall. So the heated air is distributed evenly throughout the room, while the fireplace will become the center of attention.

Let’s take a closer look at the main types of fireplaces:

Indoor or enclosed fireplace, located in the wall or at the base of the foundation, while maintaining the usable area of ​​the room. To simulate a fireplace, they cut out the necessary recesses or use niches, such as a pantry, a closet, or wall bends.

External or semi-open fireplace located outside the walls. Imitation of a fireplace is carried out by erecting a base and an external frame on the floor along the wall.

Corner fireplace, located in the corner and the easiest to build, as it saves building materials and has two supporting walls.

Open, island or swiss fireplace, located in the center of the room or surrounded by decoration on all sides. Such fireplaces are installed in large living areas and they look very impressive.

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Having decided on the type of fireplace you want, you can now choose the appropriate building material for it.

It is possible to build a portal from any materials. In the truest sense of the word, for this you can use old cabinets or tables, cardboard boxes or purchased materials, such as:

The use of drywall (gypsum board)

Provides strict construction forms or curved surfaces. It is used for decoration of light and sound imitation of a fire. The material is easy to assemble and cut. Due to sufficient strength — durable and reliable building material.

First you need to assemble a frame from a metal profile or wooden boards.

Then sheathing with drywall. Cutting out the details of the required shape, cut the top layer of the material according to the template, then bend it along this line and cut it from the opposite side.

To give the elements a curved shape, you need to slightly wet the cardboard in warm water and gently bend it when it swells and becomes pliable.

Plasterboard fireplaces are decorated with tiles with a brick or stone texture, or you can putty and paint the surface.

Such a fireplace can be decorated with plastic decorative finishing elements similar to plaster moldings.

Cardboard layout

If GKL does not suit you as a building material, then you can make a cardboard fireplace with your own hands, using an ordinary box from large household appliances. For this, any cardboard container is used:

• in the box, you need to make a cutout for the fireplace portal, bending the parts inward and gluing the sections with construction tape;
• now we glue decorative plastic skirting boards, at the joints these borders are cut at 45 degrees;
• a wide-band decorative plinth is glued on top — the basis of the mantelpiece;
• then it is necessary to putty the seams and paint the details of the fireplace.

Of course, that such a hearth, covered with wallpaper in the form of a stone, does not look very believable, but at the same time it can be used as an additional element of the interior.

Brick fireplace

An artificial fireplace is made from any type of brick: facing, silicate, colored, decorative or hollow. It brings the imitation as close as possible to the natural look. For decoration, you can complement it with a mantelpiece.

This design can be laid out in half or a quarter of a brick. If, during laying, you immediately take care of the jointing, then the fireplace will look stylish and correspond to the “country” style.

Since the brick has a significant weight, it is necessary to calculate the load on the floor in advance. With excessive massiveness, a dangerous load is created, which is undesirable for use in a medium-sized apartment.

Wooden model

For its manufacture, you can use boards or parquet sheets. Materials are used in processed and unprocessed form with the remains of the bark. To give a beautiful shade, it is necessary to cover the surface with stain or tint varnish. The shape, size and height of the portal can be chosen according to your wishes.

Such a design will harmoniously fit into the space corresponding to the eco-style.

The use of wood sheet building material

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In hardware stores, you can buy blanks for furniture or sheets of plywood, fiberboard or OSB. Of these, you can easily create a voluminous fireplace by fastening the parts with self-tapping screws.

The basis for the design is a frame made of wooden racks of small section. Pre-prepared fireplace parts are attached to the racks and assembled into a single structure, see photo

Decorative finishing of the structure is carried out using liquid nails. Thus, ceramic tiles or plastic imitating stone are glued.

metal layout

An unusual solution would be to use metal to simulate a hearth. This design creates a vintage atmosphere and gives the interior originality. Forms can be varied, there are the simplest minimalist options and complex designs with numerous patterns, it all depends on your imagination and preferences.

Using improvised means

When the above methods do not suit you, it is possible to create an imitation of a fireplace from the combined elements that are at hand.

Sometimes glass vases or empty aquariums are used to set up a biofuel burner. Such a fire is safe, as it does not burn and does not exude odors.

As a simple option, a variety of decorative plastic borders are used. They can be glued to the wall, creating a semblance of a fireplace and painted in the appropriate color.

Using a large TV

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Large monitors are used to simulate fire. A semblance of a fireplace is built around it, including a video and audio illusion of fire in the stove. This method is the simplest and most original. At the same time, by turning off the image of the fire, you can watch TV shows in style.

Wall mural

Another original and inexpensive option is to decorate the wall with photo wallpapers depicting a fireplace. They have a believable and picturesque look. By choosing the appropriate style, you can decorate even a small apartment.

Stages of building a fireplace

At the first stage, planning and marking of parameters is carried out. After choosing a form, determine its size, functionality and the presence of decorative elements. Then draw markings on the wall and floor. Such a scheme can be symbolic or drawn in detail, taking into account all the subtleties.

At the second stage, the details are collected. The basis of the structure can be an aluminum profile or a wooden frame attached to the marked lines. Why am I starting to fasten the protruding parts of the structure. When using heavy materials as a finish, such as bricks, tiles or savage stone, it is important to strengthen the frame as rigidly as possible. Next, sheathing begins with pre-prepared and sized sheets.

At the third stage, finishing work is carried out. To do this, it is necessary to prepare all surfaces for finishing. For drywall, putty is used to level the surface, followed by applying a primer.

They also use painting with various paints and finishing fireplaces using decorative plaster. There are technologies that give the putty surface the texture of any desired material.

The use of stone, tiles or mosaics as finishing materials gives a special charm and decorative effect. Among ceramic tiles there are tiles similar to old fireplace decorations and patterns. Modern technologies make it possible to decorate with imitation of slabs of granite and marble chips, like a wild stone or mosaic.

At the fourth stage, the created structure is mounted. Having installed a fireplace, it is necessary to give it a realistic look and fit it into the surrounding space, adding the necessary stylistic elements.

fireplace decoration

Decoration options depend on the style of the room and the dimensions of the building. You can use polyurethane stucco molding, self-adhesive film, or finishing materials that convey the texture of natural material. A variety of tiles are also used, a mosaic is created from fragments of tiles or multi-colored glass.

There are many solutions for decorating the fireplace, but keep the texture and shades of the interior in the same style. If there is no electric fireplace inside the structure, for which the structure was erected, then wax candles or candelabra are placed inside the portal. Sometimes the composition is supplemented with books, flowerpots with decorative flowers or sea shells.

Important! Properly select the inner lining of the fireplace using a heat-resistant, non-burning material if there is a heater or candles inside.

The level of your abilities in construction can be limited only by your imagination. The information provided in this article will help you create an original and unique decorative fireplace with your own hands.