I have always lusted after fireplaces. Give me books, shows, magazines, home listing, whatever and I'll pause an extra moment to admire the fireplace. It doesn't even have to be a functioning one. The ones sealed up are probably my favorite ones for their charm and history. There's nothing that beats the coziness of a fire but it's all about the architectural interest for me. That's why I decided to pair salvaged and DIY to create my own Faux Fireplace and to share the project tutorial with you!
This post contains product supplied by Velvet Finishes and affiliate links.

DIY Faux Fireplace Tutorial | Salvaged Mantel Project

This project is easy, affordable, and the look is gorgeous! I love that it adds something interesting to a wall I had no idea what else to do with. Something like this may not hold a lot of function but it brings me happiness. It's a place to display plants and other small decorative pieces though which is always a welcome purpose in my world.

Supplies

Velvet Finishes Furniture Paint
Velvet Finishes Protect
Paint Brush
1 Thin Plywood
1 1 x 12 x 6
16 Peel and Stick Tiles
2 Corner BracesWood Screws
Electric Drill 
Salvaged Fireplace Mantel/Surround

Making The Faux Fireplace

The one piece that took me a while to find was a suitable salvaged fireplace mantel. You can buy them new but they're cheaper when you buy them second hand and have more character. The rest of the items can be picked up with a quick trip to the home improvement store.

The first thing you'll want to do is paint your fireplace mantel and surround. The Velvet Finishes furniture paint is perfect for this project because it's a forgiving paint in a range of gorgeous colors and dries fast. Seal the top of the piece to protect the paint from decor being moved around.

Next we'll attach the thin plywood to the back of the fireplace opening with the wood screws. Then flip the fireplace over and apply paint around the edges. While the paint is out, paint the piece of lumber too.

The Velvet Finishes paint dries fast which is fantastic! Watch an episode of your favorite show and you'll be ready to move onto the next step which is to apply the peel and stick tiles to the thin plywood. I had some trouble getting a few of my tiles to stay stuck. If you have this same problem, I found hot glue held them up perfectly fine.

Moving onto the piece of wood, apply a good coat of the Velvet Finishes protect to seal and protect the paint. Give it time to dry.

Move the piece of wood against the wall where you want your faux fireplace. Move the fireplace mantel atop it and mark where the corner braces will rest atop the mantel. Move the fireplace back off and attach the braces to the wall into studs. Move the fireplace once more back onto the piece of wood and attach the brace to the fireplace.

Then it's time to decorate and enjoy your new faux fireplace!

DIY Salvaged Mantel Faux Fireplace

Jazz up a boring room in your home by adding the architectural interest of a faux fireplace. I love what a little time and a few tools did for not only this awkward section of wall, but for the whole room. It definitely has a much cooler vibe now.


The peel and stick tile fell like an upgrade compared to the bare opening that was here before. It's not really a substitute for real cement tile BUT it is way lighter and much easier to work with. I'm thinking about using this tile elsewhere now too.



The mixture of the black velvety paint with the tile pattern and pink tassels makes me swoon! It's so extra but each piece compliments the next one so beautifully that it doesn't feel like too much.

Do you have a fireplace in your home? Would you ever make a faux one?