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| Fake fireplace |
| Get a hot looking fake fireplace made for the traditional Christmas trimmings to hang by. |
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Real granite fireplaces cost a fortune, but you can have the next best thing at a fraction of the price.
A fireplace not only gives warmth to a room, it also provides a mantelpiece on which you can display photos and ornaments. A fireplace can also become a feature in an otherwise plain room. Tara will show us how to make a decorative fireplace finished with a granite look.
Step by step
1
Cut all MDF to size. If you know your exact measurements you can have it cut at your hardware store for a few extra dollars. You will need to work out how big you want your opening. (Ours was 580mm wide x 770mm high.)
2
Assemble the fireplace by gluing and screwing the whole unit together. Firstly, with your front panel on top of the back one, trace around the cut out section.
3
On the back piece, mark the position of the internal and side panels. Pre-drill holes.
4
Screw internal panels together and place the front panel on top. Fix in place.
5
Attach side panels.
6
Flip the unit over and place the back piece on top. Fix the back panel in position through the pre-drilled holes (step 3).
7
Fit top panel for mantelpiece. Fill all screw holes and lightly sand the whole unit.
8
Seal the MDF with Black gesso. Only apply gesso to the surfaces you can see. The gesso is thick so you'll only need one coat and when it dries it will leave a smooth, level surface.
9
When dry, measure and mark out where you would like to place your granite-look blocks. After outlining these in pencil, run a thin strip of masking tape along the borders of the blocks.
10
Dip the sea sponge into the grey paint. Dab the sponge onto some newspaper first to eliminate any clumps of paint. Sponge the paint onto the fireplace. You will need to do a few layers of paint to build up the granite-look, making the paint a shade lighter (slightly) as you go. Continue until the front, sides and mantel are sponged. If needed, even out the look with straight black paint. Once dry, remove the masking tape.
11
Position the fireplace against a wall. To make it seem more authentic you could place a basket with logs in the opening.
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Materials
PVA glue
Screws
Paintbrush
Paint roller
Black gesso (artist quality acrylic primer)
Jo Sonja acrylic paint in Pearl white and Paynes grey.
Pencil and ruler
Newspaper
Masking tape
Plastic plate (or something to mix paint colours on)
Sea sponge
MDF: eight pieces in total, cut to the following sizes:
Two pieces for front & back panels: 1200mm wide x 1100mm high x 16mm thick
Two pieces for side panels: 1100mm high x 150 mm deep x 16mm thick
One piece for top panel: 1300mm wide x 250mm deep x 25mm thick
Three pieces to line the opening (sizes depend on the size of your opening)
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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