Decorative false fireplace made of polyurethane
Polyurethane is a synthetic material that is highly resistant to wear, oxidation and decay.
With the help of additives, you can give it any color. A false fireplace made of polyurethane can be made by cutting with an ordinary knife, and the parts are fastened with glue or screws. The result is a sturdy construction that resists deformation at high temperatures and will last for many years.
The fastest way to make a decorative fireplace is to buy a ready-made polyurethane fireplace portal. The range of portals is wide enough, and you can surely choose the style and size that suits your room.
An electric fireplace can be built into a polyurethane false fireplace, for this you need to know its overall and installation dimensions, as well as the requirements for providing ventilation and connecting to the mains.
If you decide to install a polyurethane false fireplace with your own hands, a photo from the catalog will help you choose a specific model. To make such a fireplace, you need a purchased polyurethane portal, contact adhesive, putty and finishing materials for the firebox, for example, decorative bricks.
Polyurethane false fireplace installation technology
When choosing a place to install a decorative fireplace, try to install it on one of the side walls of the room - this will achieve the greatest harmony. The fireplace should not interfere with the passage and clutter up the room.
If you plan to install an electric fireplace or a backlight inside the portal, take care of the electrical wiring and installation of the outlet in advance.
Make the frame of the firebox from wooden bars or a profile and the walls of the firebox from plasterboard or plywood.
Install the portal and secure it with contact adhesive. Carefully putty the gaps between the firebox and the portal using a finishing putty.
Install an electric fireplace or finish the firebox in the style of your choice. Connect the backlight. Soft and warm lighting tones are perfect for a classic style fireplace, for more daring compositions, you can use a multi-colored LED strip.
If you do not want to install an electric fireplace, the back wall of the firebox can be decorated with a mirror, and decorative logs can be laid on the bottom or covered with pebbles, shells, glass balls. If you install several candles of different heights and shapes inside the firebox, then a safe live fire will appear in your fireplace.
Decorate the portal with paint, patina or gilding, or decorate it with decorative elements. Install a wood or faux stone mantel.
Finishing work
There are several design options for a false fireplace.
First. The easiest and fastest way to cover the artificial focus with self-adhesive. To do this, the plasterboard sheet must be marked and cut into separate parts. Then the film is glued around the entire perimeter. In this way, the fireplace can be individually designed.
Self-adhesive is an inexpensive and durable finish that is not afraid of external factors. But even this material wears out over time, scuffs appear, and light colors gradually begin to give off yellowness.
Second. A painted fireplace looks good. But first you need to properly smooth out the surfaces, since the paint gives out all the irregularities.In this case, it is recommended to use matte paints and varnishes, which perfectly hide the flaws of the product.
This process is carried out in several stages:
First, the surfaces to be painted are carefully leveled
Particular attention must be paid to the places where the screws were screwed in. Recessed hats need to be putty well
The putty is also used to eliminate other irregularities.
After the pasty material has dried, drywall needs to be coated with a primer. To do this better and not leave untreated areas, you can take a mixture with pigments.
We start painting immediately after the emulsion composition has dried. It is recommended to use a water-based substance. Its advantages are that it dries quickly, and also hides various surface defects well. To paint over the entire structure well around the perimeter, it is better to use a roller. Higher quality can be achieved with two coats. In this case, the paint must be diluted with water. The second layer is applied only after the first one has completely dried.
Third. The most aesthetic appearance of a Christmas fireplace will be given by the use of artificial stone or ceramic tiles. It should be noted that it is not recommended to use natural material for a false fireplace, since such a design will not withstand its weight. Processing can be simplified if plaster is used instead of the specified raw materials. Now this option is the most popular, since it allows you to successfully imitate a stone. At the same time, plaster is cheaper than natural material or tiles. It is easy to use and allows you to give the surface the desired look.
Plastering is carried out in several stages:
- First, you need to process the material.
- Then we apply a layer of a mass of thick lime mortar with sand. Until it dries up, with the help of a trowel we depict individual "bricks" on it.
- Next, with a brush, smooth edges must be given a natural unevenness to the masonry.
- After the plaster has dried, it must be covered with acrylic paint. Seams are painted gray for a cement-like finish.
Perhaps you will be interested in the technology of making a false fireplace made of cardboard.
Hull plating
First, mark all the individual parts on a plasterboard sheet. Then we cut them out with an electric jigsaw. In its absence, a hacksaw will do. The work should be done carefully, taking into account the fragility of the sheet: you must not drop the part and put strong pressure on it.
The cut elements are attached to the frame with a screwdriver and self-tapping screws. We screw the latter so that their hats are recessed.
The distance between them should be about 10-15 cm.
Working with such building material should not present any difficulties. Even inexperienced craftsmen can perform high-quality hull plating.
After the work done, you need to putty all the joints of individual pieces of drywall, the corners of the future fireplace, as well as the places where the screws are screwed in. The main work has been done, finishing remains.
Drywall
Simulating a hearth in an apartment in this way wins in being the simplest and least costly solution. To implement it, you need to stock up on the following materials:
- metal profile of two types (CD and UD);
- dowels and screws;
- drywall sheet 12 mm thick;
- perforated corners;
- putty;
- tools such as a level, putty knife, knife and screwdriver.
To build a false plasterboard fireplace with your own hands, it is necessary to complete a scheme coordinated with the required dimensions. Drawings of decorative fireplaces from this building material may look like this:
In accordance with the estimated dimensions, the frame is attached to the wall (when choosing the wall-mounted option), using self-tapping screws or dowels. The rigidity of the structure is set by installing a UD-profile with the subsequent insertion of a CD-type element into it. To avoid skewing the frame, the building level measures the parallelism and perpendicularity of all faces.After making sure of the strength of the structure, you should proceed to cutting out blanks from the drywall sheet. With the help of self-tapping screws, the frame is sheathed with prepared building material.
Additional reliability of the structure, before proceeding with its finishing, can be created by sheathing the sides and transverse side with two layers of drywall. In this case, you need to round off the corners, and after cladding, you need to decorate the Christmas fireplace using ready-made decorative details and stucco molding.
Using an abrasive mesh, we make vertical grooves along the sidewalls, allowing you to imitate an ancient Roman column.
At the same time, to give a deep embossed plasterboard false fireplace, pillows are cut out of a special material, which are glued to the prepared device using silicone or mounting glue. Trying to improve the created structure, you can supplement it with a foot and an internal shelf, which must be fastened with self-tapping screws to maintain strength.
After the completion of construction work, the gaps are sealed with putty, which covers the entire structure being erected. By applying 2-3 layers, the surface is leveled.
We carry out an imitation of the firebox by painting the interior space of the false fireplace in black. There you can also place an image of a flame or make an artificial fire.
The final stage is painting the surface of the fireplace like a stone. The strength of this layer is provided by a putty based on PVA glue.
The decorative New Year's plasterboard fireplace, the step-by-step instructions for which you read above, is ready. It should be noted that such equipment can serve as a decoration not only during winter holidays, but also all year round.
Made of wood
Such a decorative hearth can be easily built with your own hands from unnecessary bars, shields and boards. The aesthetic appearance is ensured by painting and varnishing.
You can create an attractive false fireplace made of wood using an old sideboard or an unnecessary cabinet, which, after performing some actions, will take on a rather original look. The facade of such furniture is made of plasterboard, boards or plywood. When constructing a product, it is worth removing the polished layer that usually covers old cabinets. A grinder is used to roughen the surface. At the next stage of processing the sideboard, a primer is applied, which is applied to all its surfaces. The result of the decoration will be wood, brick or stone finish. Someone will like the ready-made polyurethane bases offered in hardware stores specifically for decorating fireplaces.
Decoration
Finishing decoration is the most interesting and creative part of the work, where you can embody any creative ideas. This is facilitated by a huge selection of finishing materials. The simplest and most inexpensive finishing option is gluing wallpaper imitating brick or stone. In this case, it is recommended to give preference to high-quality paper or non-woven tapestries, which are most convenient for gluing corner structures. In order for the structure to have a more complete look after that, all corners and edges are decorated with overhead decorative corners of matching color. When choosing a color, the principle of contrast is usually used. Fixation of overhead corners is carried out on liquid nails.
Another simple and inexpensive option for decorating a drywall fireplace in the interior is to paint it. This type of decoration is usually used in cases where the walls are also finished in a similar way. In order to highlight the portal against the background of the wall surface, it is decorated in a different color (usually darker).To emphasize the outline of the firebox, it can be additionally pasted over with molding.
When it comes to facing the fireplace portal, for these purposes it is recommended to use clinker tiles that perfectly cope with thermal effects. Thus, the fire safety recommendations for the use of electric heating devices will be followed. Clinker tiles look like brick: the variety of colors allows you to choose the most suitable design shade. In addition to the electric fireplace, ordinary candles can be placed inside the portal finished in this way.
False fireplaces decorated with decorative stone look very beautiful, which, like clinker tiles, is fixed with ordinary tile glue. In classic interiors, it is recommended to use light imitation stone or stucco
It is impossible to ignore the design of the table top, which has a significant impact on the creation of the external image of the entire portal. The easiest way to order this element is from a good furniture company: as a rule, we are talking about imitations of marble or precious wood.
To give the fireplace a special authenticity, it is additionally fenced with a forged grate.
Outcomes
In cases where the desire to acquire a fireplace meets with serious obstacles (as is the case in apartments), you can use a decorative structure instead. Making a fireplace with your own hands from drywall is quite simple, so even a beginner can handle this work
The finishing design is of decisive importance here: it is very important that the new decorative element organically fit into the overall interior.
Examples of using a decorative hearth in various rooms
An artificial fireplace, unlike a real one, can be installed not only in the living room, but also in any other room. In the children's room during the New Year holidays, you can build a fireplace from boxes and decorate it in accordance with the traditions of Christmas: hang socks in which you can put treats for babies
At the same time, it is better to install the fireplace opposite the crib so that it draws attention to itself immediately after waking up. A reliable fireplace will perfectly fit in the bedroom next to the window.
You can put a rocking chair next to it and spend long winter evenings reading books in a cozy atmosphere. If the hearth is installed in the living room, then it is advisable to do this opposite the soft zone. On the floor in front of the fireplace itself, you can lay a small rug with a long pile. Such imitation of the hearth will delight not only the owners, but also the guests of the apartment.
Materials and methods of making a portal with your own hands
There are many photo and video master classes that tell you how to create different types of hearths with your own hands. In many cases, even an amateur of design art is capable of making a false fireplace. The hardest part is making the portal. Before starting work, you need to choose a specific design and find the materials that will be used. More often than others, drywall, brick, stone, plastic, laminated plates, wood, cardboard are used when creating decorative stoves. You need to choose materials based on several parameters: the general style of the room, the size of the structure, the type and purpose of the fireplace. For work, you will also need special tools.
How to build a cardboard fireplace
On a cardboard sheet, in accordance with the sketch drawn earlier and the estimated dimensions, details of the future decorative hearth are drawn. Consideration should be given to the small gaps in their gluing. A false fireplace, created with your own hands from cardboard using drawings, consists of a base, a portal and an upper shelf.Regarding the last link, it should be noted that its width and length should be slightly larger than those of the main structure.
The drawn base details are cut and glued, taking the form of a huge rectangular box. To give the structure more strength, corrugated liners are inserted between two layers of cardboard.
The portal and the base can be fastened together in the following two ways:
- the front part is installed inside the manufactured box and glued to its walls and bottom;
- the portal, as it were, covers the base and is glued to it.
Having chosen this or that connection option, we proceed to the manufacture of the front part of the fireplace. There are also two creation alternatives here: you can make a frame-type portal or with a closed back wall. In our article, we will consider the second option.
For the construction of the front part, separate cardboard strips or a solid sheet are used, in which a hole is cut in the middle, which serves as a firebox. To make the opening neat and perfectly even, you need to carefully make all the necessary measurements and perform accurate drawing. The values obtained at the initial stage of this creative work are used to create the ceiling part of the portal. The ceiling, sides and rear solid wall are fastened with adhesive tape.
Now you should start connecting the portal and the main part of the structure. To do this, a search is performed for the middle of the structure. Equal segments are measured from it in both directions, the ends of which will serve as points of attachment of the portal to the base with adhesive tape.
You can stop there, but if you plan to install decorative vases, photo frames and mantel clocks on a false fireplace, you need to build an upper shelf that can withstand the relative load. It will be possible to give rigidity to this part by connecting several cardboard strips with polymer glue. The board made in this way is glued on top of the previously constructed frame using the same adhesive.
Masking tape should be used to seal the seams. To give such a structure a more aesthetic appearance, it should be coated with water-based paint. That's all! Our New Year's cardboard fireplace is ready.
Corner decorative fireplace made of cardboard step by step photo instructions papamaster.su
At this link you can familiarize yourself with other options for making a heating device from cardboard.
Location
As mentioned earlier, a huge advantage of a decorative fireplace is that it can be placed in any part of the house or apartment, focusing exclusively on convenience and home interior. As a rule, the future owners of an artificial hearth prefer to place it against one of the walls, but it is possible to mount a false fireplace in one of the corners or even in the middle of the room. The main rule that must be observed when installing a decorative fake is free access to it. Indeed, in addition to the aesthetic function, this part of the decor also has a relaxing function. There is not a single person who would not like to sit next to a fireplace, even an artificial one, in a comfortable chair and with a book in his hands. It is very pleasant to spend quiet family evenings in such an environment.
Near the wall
The wall placement option is relevant in several cases:
- If you want to emphasize the classic interior of the room.
- If it is part of a wall-mounted furniture complex.
- If the hearth will be used as an additional source of heat in the apartment.
- If the free space of the room where the false fireplace is installed is limited.
Before installing the wall decorative pattern, be sure to make sure that the wall is flat. Only then there will be no ugly gap between it and the hearth. It is best to choose a place for placing a false fireplace in the center of the wall.In this case, the fireplace will accentuate the harmonious design of the room.
In the corner
The decorative corner hearth is ideal for rooms with a small area, since it takes up little space. The fireplace, installed in the corner opposite from the entrance, has more functionality. Next to it, you can place a soft area with a sofa or armchairs
In addition, when entering a room with such a false fireplace, it will be he who will be the first to attract attention. The corner hearth looks especially interesting in rooms with uneven corners, protrusions of load-bearing beams
With the right decoration, these structures will look like a chimney, which will add realism. The structure of the corner fireplace is such that even a conventional version will have a fairly wide portal and shelf, which means not only will save space, but will also provide a fairly large storage area.
Ostrovnoy
An island artificial hearth for its installation requires much more free space than a wall or corner one, and therefore this option is used in large rooms and studios. Its peculiarity is that you can approach the heat source from any side, but at the same time you will not notice any discomfort or crampedness. There is such a fireplace much less often than others, but if one is installed, then a burner or an electric hearth is laid inside it. The decorative island pattern will successfully complement the design of the Scandinavian or any other minimalist style. To make an island-type false fireplace yourself, you need to make a lot of effort, therefore, most often they are ordered from professionals or bought ready-made.
Brick
Thanks to the decision to make a choice in favor of brick, there is every chance to build a structure, the appearance of which will be as close as possible to a real wood-burning fireplace. When spreading decorative or facing bars on a cement mortar, it is imperative to perform a cover-up. Any novice master who has ever tried to lay bricks will calmly cope with this work. At the same time, you need to be sure that the interfloor overlap will withstand such a relatively massive and dimensional structure with dignity. Decorating an artificial fireplace is not needed here, since high-quality masonry is responsible for the aesthetics of the structure. A wooden shelf will complement the overall composition of the device.
Location of the fireplace
You need to start by choosing a place and taking measurements. The plasterboard structure is not mobile, it is rigidly fixed to the wall. It is impossible to move such a structure without completely dismantling it, so you need to immediately determine where to make a decorative fireplace so that it does not interfere with anyone.
Another important point when choosing a place to simulate a hearth is its central location in the interior. The entire composition of the room will be built around a burning fire and its framing. It is advisable to choose a site that will allow you to arrange furniture without interference, taking into account this rule. People who are keen on Feng Shui should establish in advance a favorable zone for installing the future layout.
When a suitable place is found, you need to measure the length and width of the future portal. This is necessary to calculate the amount of materials used for installation. According to certain dimensions, make drawings to scale to determine what parts will be required for assembly. Draw a sketch of the portal design.