How to Make an Easy Fake Fireplace
Fake fireplaces bring a warming atmosphere to any room. If you don't have a fireplace in your living quarters, and your living arrangement doesn't permit a permanent installation, consider making a fake fire place to bring ambiance into the space.
Supplies
- Three by three feet cardboard box
- Five by five feet cardboard box
- Pencil
- Utility knife
- Black paint
- Ivory paint
- Brick red acrylic paint
- Paint tray
- Three by six-inch rectangular sponge
- Wood glue
- Open up the flaps of the 5x5 cardboard box and lay it upside down.
- Put the bottom of the three foot box on the bottom of the larger box. Line up the edges closest to you. The smaller box should be centered on the edge of the larger.
- Draw around the flap of the three foot box with your pencil. Use the utility knife to cut the outline of it.
- Paint the outside of the biggest box with an ivory color and the inside of the little box black.
- Put the larger box on its side. The three foot hole should be on the bottom and centered at the front of the box. This is the fireplace's opening. Put the smaller box on its side, also. Trim off the bottom flap of the smallest box.
- Place the smaller box inside the larger. Align the openings on each. Use glue to join the boxes together. Allow it to dry overnight.
- Open your can of brick red paint and pour a little into a paint pan. Use a rectangular sponge to create a brick effect. Dip the sponge into the paint and gently blot it against the large box. Repeat the process carefully, lining up each "brick" as you work. Stagger the "brick" on the next row by centering the bottom brick between two "brick" stamps from the first row.
- Continue this process until the entire area of the larger box is covered with "bricks." Allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours.
- Purchase an inexpensive set of andirons to add to the realism from a flea market or garage sale and place inside your new fireplace.