New Look for an Old Fireplace for less than $150

by Gail--My Repurposed Life

After living in the same home for 30+ years, I felt it was time to give this old fireplace a new look.

tired, outdated fireplace BEFORE

This is the "before", note the used bricks, and the concrete mantel and hearth.

new look for an old fireplace, concrete masonry, diy, fireplaces mantels, painting, woodworking projects

I used thin plywood to encase the stone mantel. I used some scrap pine pieces to connect everything together, as seen in this picture, using Gorilla Wood glue and my brad nailer.

I basically made a mold to fit right over the mantel and slid it on, securing it with some liquid nails.

I added some crown molding trim to dress up the top front of the mantel.

I basically did the same thing with the hearth using thin plywood and scrap pieces of pine to secure it.

The brick was given a fresh coat of paint. I added plywood to the facade of the fireplace with 1x4 pine boards to trim it out. Then to give more detail, I used some small trim securing it with Gorilla Wood Glue and painter's tape until the glue dried.

I so love the fresh new look of my fireplace, it makes me smile every time I look at it.

NOTE: This is a non-working fireplace. Meaning, I do not burn wood any longer.

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3 of 4 questions

Mary on May 10, 2017

can you use this application on a working fireplace. We have a wood stove insert that I'd liketo do this

2
Rachel (@ pinterestingplans.com) on May 12, 2017

how did you attach the plywood to the brick? i didn't see it mentioned here for in your blog post. thanks :)

1
Linda Alves on Apr 27, 2019

What kind of paint did you use on the brick? And did you do anything special to the brick before you painted it?

0