Fireplace Make Over

Mihaela Parker
by Mihaela Parker
4 Materials
$60
4 Hours
Easy

Have you ever come across a great find at the thrift store that you just had to have? This was one of the many for me! But, it definitely needed some love!

This baby was only $40. It's wood with tile. I thought it had great classic lines so I was up to the challenge! I've been wanting a fireplace for my living room for a long time.


Before I started painting I wiped it down with a de-greaser and put it up on wood pieces so I could get at the bottom with the paint.

This is after two coats of paint. I painted the tiles as well as I wasn't sure if the color of the tile would show through the contact paper.

I measured across the top part of the tile area and cut the contact paper to size. After lining it up on the left hand side, I pulled the back sheet off slowly while smoothing out the paper as I went along. There were a couple of times I had to pull it back and re align to keep the paper straight. I forgot to take a picture of it but once the full piece was on I used an exacto knife to trim the inside and left about half an inch overlay to wrap around into the inside.

So turns out painting the tile was not only unnecessary but a mistake as well! When repositioning the contact paper the paint was coming off! Good thing this was being covered up..... 

Close up shot of the paper wrapping around the inside. I wasn't concerned about how far it went inside as I was covering up that with the paper too.

I measured the inside part, cut to size and followed the same process. Once I did both sides, I put the black insert back in.

Finished project! I think it turned out great, can't wait to decorate it for Christmas.

After some staging, I am in love!! Just gotta move the TV higher up now and voila! Uber cheap thrift store find now looks like the ones I've been looking at online for hundreds more!

Resources for this project:
Purdy paint brush
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  2 questions
  • Janet B Janet B on Aug 25, 2019

    Love it!!!!


  • Robin Robin on Aug 31, 2019

    love your floors do you know what brand/color they are?

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6 of 29 comments
  • Bek Bek on Aug 25, 2020

    What a beautiful job you did! When my landlady declared my electric fireplace a "space heater," and said I had to get rid of it, I removed the actual fire component with heater, covered the empty firebox with a stone printed contact paper, and ordered a set of simple electric logs and a fire grate. Most of my friends actually like the new version better...my landlady was FURIOUS that I'd found a work-around and kept the piece! She's not an awfully nice human being.

    • See 2 previous
    • Bek Bek on Sep 07, 2020

      Nah, she's just like that with ALL 50 apartments. Has a little authority and likes to show it. She actually likes me better than most! We're RD rental assisted (elderly/disabled apartments), and she'd have to show REAL cause to evict, and I don't give her that cause, ever.

  • Kevin Kevin on Aug 26, 2020

    I LOVE this!


    I have 2 1950s fake fireplaces in my apartment one in the bedroom/den/office the other in the eat in kitchen they are GREAT to display nice things and do not take up much room just 12 inches deep.


    We do them up for Christmas each year.

    • Mihaela Parker Mihaela Parker on Aug 28, 2020

      Thank you!


      That's great, yes i love decorating them for christmas, they look so cozy and inviting!


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