Modern Organic Faux Fireplace DIY
Fireplaces are not just for big fancy houses – you heard it here first! Our living room has a smaller footprint but I was convinced that it could handle a full-length faux fireplace. With floating shelves on each side, this project would give us additional space for decor, plants, books, storage – all without taking much space in our living room. Here is how you can do it from scratch too!
Build Fireplace Framing According to Your Room’s Dimensions
After deciding on a full length design we built a frame to support the walls of our fireplace.
Include Support for Your Mounted TV
The last thing you want is for your TV to come crashing down. We mounted a Samsung Frame TV and feel confident about the support we included.
Adding Drywall
We decided on a painted finish which calls for drywall. My ceilings are about 8 ft tall so a sheet of drywall covered it from floor to ceiling perfectly. I used a sharp blade to score the drywall sheets and then easily snapped it to the right length. I installed each sheet by securing it with drywall screws at every 12 inches.
I used the Victoria Lee Interiors How-To Guide to construct this modern faux fireplace. Victoria Lee is an incredible designer known for her hands on design and renovation. This guide will help you smoothly navigate your fireplace project.
My Frenemy, Joint Compound
Joint compound closes up the seems where the drywall pieces meet. This is what makes the walls of your home look long and seamless.
- Apply a thin layer of join compound to the seam
- Apply paper tape over your thing layer of compound (dampen tape if needed)
- Press in firmly with your taping knife
- Let dry and gently sand as needed
- Once smooth, apply a thicker layer of joint compound and smooth out using a 12-inch taping knife.
- Let dry, gently sand, and repeat (adding joint compound) as needed
For me, the key to smooth joint compound is a 12-inch taping knife – I swear by it.
A 6-inch knife will help you apply the joint compound, but a 12-inch knife will spread evenly and reduce your sanding time.
Time for Paint
New drywall will soak up your paint so it is very important to prime first. I painted on 2 layers of primer before adding our actual paint color.
For our paint color I used a Roman Clay paint by Portola. This was my first time working with Roman Clay and I won’t lie, it’s a little tricky. It’s thicker than regular paint and needs to be applied with a taping knife. After about 3 layers I got the organic stone texture I was going for.
Pro Tip: Ask your paint pro to tint your primer so you get quicker coverage with your final paint color.
