One project I knew I wanted to complete this year was a faux fireplace mantel for our Christmas decor and stockings. I miss having a fireplace in this home, and if you have been following this little blog for a while then you know a fireplace has been on my project list for the last couple of years. (post contains affiliate links, see disclosure)
This faux fireplace mantel is just temporary and will not be the location of the actual fireplace we will be installing hopefully next year. So, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money or spend a lot of time on this project. I used everything we already had, including scrap wood and paint from the garage. The tile is actually wallpaper that I had leftover from another project. Now that the faux fireplace mantel has been completed, I think it looks great and would look great all year round too!
This project was so fast, I didn’t take any pictures throughout the process. I was able to put the whole thing together in less than an hour and most of that time was spent sanding down the scrap wood. As I mentioned, this project was completely free, and I kind of just figured it out as I went along.
DIY FAUX FIREPLACE MANTEL
SUPPLIES
- (2) 1x6x8
- (1) 1x3x8
- (1) 2x2x4
- tape measure
- miter saw or jigsaw
- nail gun
- nails
- stud finder
- level
- primer
- black semi-gloss paint
- paintbrush
- wallpaper, I used leftover from this project!
STEPS
mark and make cuts for:
- (3) 1×6 pieces to the desired height of faux fireplace surround, I did ours at 42 inches
- (1) 1×6 pieces to 48 inches for the mantelpiece
- (1) 2×2 to 42 inches
- (2) 1×3 pieces to 42 inches
- find studs in the wall and attach each board with nailgun and nails, using a level
- prime and paint the desired color
Because this was not going to be permanent, I did not want to remove our baseboards. Instead, I nailed a 1×3 directly on top of the baseboard (1/2 inch thick) before attaching the sides directly onto the wall. Next, I nailed the other 1×3 on top, and then the 2×2 for more support of the top mantelpiece which is also a 1×6. You can use nails or screws to attach the top.
For the interior section of the faux fireplace, I was planning on using sheets of faux brick that would also be painted black. But, I remembered I had faux tiled wallpaper from a previous project and I’m so glad I used this instead. I just used thumbtacks and tape to attach the wallpaper, since this is not going to be permanent. Extra tip: attach the wallpaper to the wall first before nailing boards in place. Prime and paint boards before nailing to the wall also. If I would have thought about that first, It would have made this project a little bit easier for me! So, learn from my mistakes.
Overall I’m super happy with this DIY faux fireplace mantel. It really looks great in our home and in this corner. It has me thinking about adding a more permanent fireplace option to our home but having it centered in our living room. So, I have big plans to create something similar next year. But for now, this little project is perfect!
