Learn how to make a faux fireplace with a hearth that gives your room a cozy look, while also being completely removable. It’s an easy project that will instantly add warmth to any space.

women sitting in front of a white DIY faux fireplace with pumpkins around on the floor

Iโ€™m so excited to share this project with you. Iโ€™ve been dreaming about it for a long time.

I remember when we first toured this house, the previous owners had put a large electric fireplace on the wall, and I just knew it needed something.

The large wall with high ceilings just longed for a beautiful mantle. A place where stockings could be hung for Christmas, and decor could change with the seasons.

There must have been something originally here to heat the house, like a wood stove, because there is a vent going to the room above. 

So, when we moved in, we placed a large armoire against the wall to hide the TV, but it didnโ€™t feel right.

One thing I really wanted to avoid was putting up something that looked obviously fake and forced. I didnโ€™t just want to throw a mantle up on the wall, but rather wanted something that looked like you could light a fire in it – and was meant for our 1860โ€™s farmhouse.

To be honest, this project ended up taking forever. I spent time collecting a period-appropriate mantle, thinking through and sourcing the hearth, and acquiring the antique surround and summer cover.

Itโ€™s finally finished, though, and I’m so pleased. It looks amazing and just feels right in this room.

DIY faux fireplace with a vintage mantle and summer cover. A frame Tv sits above the fireplace

How much does it cost to build a faux fireplace?

This is completely based on how much you spend on materials, and also whether you build the mantel yourself, purchase one, or find one at a thrift store.

This ended up costing us around $250 for the mantel, the brick and slate tile were leftover from our chimney project, $35 for the insert and summer cover, plus $150 to get it sand blasted, plus plywood and some paint. All in all, we are in the project for less than $500.

Why would you want a faux fireplace?

This is a great way to add a cozy element and character. Even if you donโ€™t own an old home, but you do want that added character, this is a great way to recreate that. The brick, stone, and a mantel. You can totally get the look without spending a fortune installing a real fireplace.

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Faux Mantel Project To-Do List

  1. Take off existing shoe molding or corner round.
  2. Make hearth pad, grout it, and put in place.
  3. Outline mantle on wall.
  4. Sand blast and paint the insert and summer cover.
  5. Attach plywood to the back of the mantel.
  6. Paint plywood black.
  7. Paint mantel.
  8. Brick over plywood.
  9. Mortar brick.
  10. Paint brick.
  11. Create holes for TV cords.
  12. Hang TV.
  13. Attach mantel to wall.ย 
  14. Add 1×6 to back of surround.
  15. Fix insert to plywood inside.
  16. Wire the summer cover to 1×6.ย 
  17. Patch screw holes and paint.
  18. Style.

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Watch The Tutorial

Tools And Materials You May Need:

Wet saw

Drill

Miter saw

Pry bar

Grout float

Sponge

Tile adhesive mat (like this one)

1×6

Brick veneers – leftover from the wood stove project.

Slate tile

Mantel – we found ours on Facebook Marketplace

Insert and summer cover

Frame TV

white DIY faux fireplace with white brick and a vintage mantle

How To Build A Faux Fireplace

man removing shoe molding from base boards
  1. Remove shoe moulding from the wall you plan to place the fireplace on. You may need to remove the regular moulding, as well. 
    • We didnโ€™t, because the walls have been patched or replaced in so many places that the wall is flush with the moulding. 
    • You may be able to just remove the moulding only where you are planning to place the mantle.

Tile

women laying slate tile on tile adhesive pad to make a hearth
  1. Make a hearth pad by measuring how wide you want the hearth, and cutting the tile adhesive mat to length. Place on floor and place tiles to fit. I actually left most of the adhesive backing on the portion that stuck to the floor, so that it wouldnโ€™t move around, but also wouldnโ€™t ruin the floors underneath. (For reference, we made our hearth 16″ deep and then just a few inches wider than the mantel.)
  2. Grout using non-sanded grout, then wipe with damp sponge. Allow to dry, then use a haze remover, if needed.
man grouting slate tile to make a fireplace hearth
man wiping excess grout off with a wet sponge

Create Mantel

  1. Place the mantel on the wall where you planned, then outline it with a pencil or sharpie.
  2. Prime and paint insert and summer cover. If we were planning on making this a working fireplace, we would have had it powder coated.spray painting a fireplace summer cover black
  3. Measure and cut plywood to fit the back of the mantel. Attach the plywood to the back of the mantel.
  4. Paint plywood black. Take off the mantel, if needed. Allow to dry.painting plywood black attached to a fireplace mantle
  5. Paint mantel desired color. We went with a crisp white.women painting a antique mantle white
  6. Apply thinset to the plywood and add bricks. brick layer with thinset on a plywood
    • The bricks ended up fitting perfectly with the insert and summer cover. If your tiles or bricks donโ€™t fit perfectly, use a tile saw to fit correctly.
  7. Mortar brick. We placed the mortar in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, cutting a small tip off a corner. Then, we added some mortar between the bricks (like you are icing a cake) and smoothed it out with a small spatula. We ended up having to go back and smooth out some more mortar because it was so thick, when I started painting the brick, it looked like just one layer.man adding mortar with a ziplock bag squeezing between each brick
  8. Once the mortar is dry, paint the brick.

Faux Fireplace Installation

  1. Since we were hanging the Frame TV above the fireplace, we didnโ€™t want the cords showing. So, we drilled a hole to run the cords behind the wall and mantel so they were nicely hidden. Also, since we outlined where the mantel would go, we knew exactly where to hang the TV. We bought a new frame TV so that the TV looks like art when not in use.
  2. Find the studs and hang mantel on the wall by securing it with a drill and screws. man securing faux fireplace to the wall with screws
    • This is actually very tricky in old houses, but can be done by tapping on the wall.
    • Use a stud finder, if you have a new home. We wanted it to be really secure, since we have kids and it is very heavy.
  3. The fireplace insert had holes to attach to the fireplace. We ended up attaching two 1×6โ€™s to the back of the surround, painting them black, then attaching the wood to the plywood on the mantel through the studs in the wall.man drilling 1x6 to the back of a fireplace insert
  4. Screw a piece of wire into the 1ร—6 board that is connected to the surround. Place the summer cover on and twist the wire to secure it, tucking in the ends. Paint black. Do this at least on the top two corners.securing the summer cover to the insert using a wire
  5. Patch screw holes and touch up paint.
  6. Re-install shoe moulding.
  7. Style the mantel.
close up of a DIY faux fireplace with mantle

I can’t get over how real and beautiful it looks. While it would be really cool to get a gas insert in this one day, we do have the wood burning stove right around the corner.

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20 Comments

  1. Gretchen says:

    Where did you find a summer insert?

    1. Lisa says:

      I found it at a local salvage shop.

  2. Kevin says:

    You did a great job with this fireplace.

  3. Yvonne Caudill says:

    I love your fireplace. I recently invested in a vintage mantle. My living room already has a wood burning stove which we use. Iโ€™m concerned as to where I could situate my mantle in the same room as my wood burning stove. Any ideas that you may offer would be greatly appreciated!

  4. Tammie Price says:

    This is all so beautiful! I have been wanting to do a frame tv but I am not very technical. Can you tell me how you do the wiring. Obviously it is in the wall behind the tv, but where would your satellite equipment be (or whatever kind you may have)? Hope this question is not too ridiculous. Lol

  5. Maria says:

    Your faux fireplace looks like it has always been there and looks just like a real fireplace!!! Thanks so much for this tutorial to create the real fireplace look without the chimney:)
    And thanks for your blog which has been an inspiration to me!!!!

    1. Lisa says:

      thank you so much!

  6. Sue says:

    We did the same in a room with no features. We started by building a fake wall in the centre of the room to produce alcoves each side , to mimic a chimney. We then searched for a mantle piece , which we found and painted. Then we picked up a fire insert that was cast iron with tiles and held an electric coal effect fire. We also picked up a marble hearth. The whole room has been transformed.

    1. Lisa says:

      it’s amazing how adding a centerpiece like a fireplace can change a whole room! it sounds like yours turned out beautiful!

  7. Michele M. says:

    It looks positively amazing- as thought it has always been there! Well done, you guys. It’s great – and so perfectly situated there.

    Love your new tv too.

    1. Lisa says:

      Thank you so much!

  8. Kay says:

    Looks really good! Looks like its always been there.

    1. Lisa says:

      exactly what i was going for! thank you

  9. Linda Scott says:

    Hi,
    It looks great and your home is beautiful!! Looking forward to seeing the entire room with the new fireplace! Love your blog!
    Linda

    1. Lisa says:

      thank you so much!