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There are a number of reasons to have a fireplace, and not all of them are related to providing heat. In fact, with the availability of modern heating systems and other easy alternatives to fire, heat actually comes very low on the list of why people want a fireplace these days.
Many people enjoy sitting by the fire and enjoying the look and feel of it, but many others simply like the look of the fireplace it self and the effect it has on a living room. It is surprising how many people feel that a room without a fireplace is incomplete and somehow lacking. If you are one of these people, then instead of investing in a real or an electric or gas fireplace, you may decide that you want to build a fake fireplace. There are many sources on the internet that can teach you how the build a fake fireplace and most of the methods they outline are pretty simple and can easily be accomplished by yourself. Most do not even require expensive materials and can be completed without too much investment. If you want to know how to build a fake fireplace then below is an outline for a fairly simple fake fireplace that can be built by most people with ordinary materials that are available to them. First of all, you need to make a plywood box. This should be the shape of the fireplace you want and will usually be a thin, medium height, wide rectangle. Cut plywood for the top and two side panels and fix them together using mending plates. Then you add the front face which should be cut so as to allow for the fire opening. Attach this to the front and see how the box looks against the wall. The next step in this how to build a fake fireplace guide is to put the mantel on top. Usually, a 1 x 8 piece of wood will be suitable for the mantel but it depends really on the look that you are trying to create. However, make sure that it overlaps the box to create the shelf effect that is so important for mantels. Attach the mantel to the top of the box with glue or screws. This is the basic structure of your fake fireplace. Now you have to make it look real. The first step is to attach some trimmings to give your fireplace some personality. You can use crown molding and trim to do this, as well as any other ideas you come up with. You should then fill in any holes with spackling, place luan behind the fire hole, sand and finally paint the entire fireplace as desired. That’s all you need to know about how to build a fake fireplace that is simple and quick. |
