Fireplace Wall Makeover

Sherry
by Sherry
6 Materials
$75
2 Weeks
Easy
We bought a home that was quite dated and needed some serious TLC. This fireplace makeover was one of the many DIY projects that were tackled since then.
This is what we had to work with. The wall had ugly paneling and everything is dated from 60's to early 70's. I had a vision in mind, and thought about trying to purchase the perfect mantel, but couldn't find the right fit. So...that's when I decided to make exactly what I wanted.
Close up of cabinet next to fireplace. Not thrilled that they built the cabinet right over the paneling.
Kept the old doors and just added decorative trim to the front of them.
Started adding all the trim pieces to create the fireplace mantel/surround and then used this Glidden Gripper primer on all the wood surfaces.
More trim pieces. The whole process was just layering 3/4" pine in different widths and then adding the fluted trim and blocks as the finishing touch.
This is a closeup of all the trim I used. You can see that there is also a piece of crown molding to tie in the actual mantel to the the surround.
I spray painted the fireplace screen with a bronze color. Make sure that everything around it is covered really well to prevent the overspray from getting on the woodwork or brick. Note...probably best to do this before you start painting your cabinets (unlike me who did this as an afterthought).
Finished cabinets! Instead of considering ripping out the paneling, I decided to embrace it and add the these two colors as the background. I just used the wall color and then brought in the blue from the adjoining room color.
The finished project! I'm pleased with how it turned out (especially since it cost so little to update). I would like to have stacked stone instead of the brick, but my husband is a brick mason and doesn't like altering brick (haha). I may win him over one of these days.
Resources for this project:
3/4" pine boards (various widths)
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 2 comments
  • Wendy Wendy on Jan 16, 2018

    What a fantastic makeover!

    • Sherry Sherry on Jan 16, 2018
      Thanks Wendy! It's so much lighter and brighter in the room now and has much more character. :-)
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