How to Build DIY Built In Shelves Around Our Fireplace

Adding Built Ins Around Our Fireplace

23 Materials

$1500

70 Hours

Medium

We redid our existing fireplace with new tile and floating mantle, then installed built ins around our fireplace to add functional storage and display space to our living room. We saved around $5,000 by doing this ourselves. Amazing!! FInd out how much we spent instead on the blog post: adding built ins around our fireplace.

First, we demoed the existing fireplace. See those cubby shelves? That was our only storage before this project. What an upgrade these built ins provided!

We installed new cement board and moved on to tiling our fireplace.

With the tile and shiplap up, we installed support for the floating mantle.

Next, we moved onto the built ins. We added a base support for our cabinets to sit on.

The countertops went on the cabinets, then we moved on to the bookshelves.

First, the vertical sides of the shelving were screwed into a 2x4 support on the ceiling. We used painters tape to visualize where the horizontal shelves would go.

Next, we moved onto installing the horizontal shelves, and sanded, painted and touched up the shelves with white paint.

Last but not least, we installed the trim and mantle, and decorated! What a difference! Best of all, the storage is FUNCTIONAL for our young family! IF you love this project, pin it to your DIY board to read again later.

1 question

Marrianne Rudy
on May 23, 2018
I loved the frame around it in the before photos.....wanna send it to me?? :) I have 4 bookshelves to go on either side of my tv, putting in a wood burning "Hobbit" stove so that gorgeous mantle would be perfect! I do love your update though.....clean lines are always beautiful!
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- Yvonne Smith Angus
  on Jul 6, 2018
  I was thinking the same thing. I'd love to have that white mantle and surround!! 😂

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Honey
on Jun 23, 2018
Yes I would love to do this. I have been thinking about upgrading. Beautiful work.
Serena Grace
on Jul 1, 2018
ripper going to do it ta, serena tailem bend s australia