DIY fireplace decor

The fireplace in the room is its central link and main accent. Despite the opinion of many, it is very easy to install such a design in your home if you have even the slightest knowledge in construction. But in addition, in order to properly place and install the fireplace, you should take care of the appearance of the hearth, as it should ideally fit and make up a single look of the interior of the room. Therefore, you should be responsible for the whole process, creating a fireplace decor with your own hands. And in order for you to succeed and you make no mistakes, our experts will tell you how to do it right.

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Fireplace as the main decorative element of the interior

Today, a modern fireplace is no longer the first necessity for heating a room. Its main function is decorative. Therefore, if you decide to install such a structure, first you need to determine the place where it will be placed, its type and shape.

As for small rooms and apartments, it is best to use the following types of fireplaces:

• Electric;
• Biofireplaces;
• False fireplaces;
• Gas.

Equally important is the choice of architectural design style, since it must completely coincide or be identical with the interior design of the entire room where the hearth will be placed. To date, the most popular areas used in decorating fireplaces are the following:

• Classical. The design of such a fireplace is made in the shape of the letter “P”, and light colors and natural materials are used in the decoration.
• Country. The shape of the fireplace in this case can be performed absolutely any. As for the external surface finish, natural stone, wood or ceramic tiles will be an excellent option.
• Minimalism. In this case, there are no various decorative elements - columns, stucco moldings and ledges. This design provides for clear and straight lines.
• Provence. It is very similar to the Country style, only in this direction muted tones and artificially aged wood are used.

Important! If you can not decide on the future design of the fireplace, you should safely choose a classic style, as it is ideally suited to many design decisions in interior design.

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How to make a fireplace with your own hands?

• After you have completed the installation of the fireplace, you must definitely complete the jointing. It is produced by distributing the solution using a special curly tool.

Important! Depending on your taste preferences and the overall design of the fireplace, the seams can be depressed or convex. Also, if desired, they can be filled with pigments of the desired color.

• Processing should always begin with the design of horizontal seams. To do this, clean the dry solution with a brush made of natural materials.

Important! Do not use tools with wire bristles. They are very rough and can severely scratch the surface.

• Before decorative finishing, it is necessary to open the surface of the structure with a heat-resistant paintwork.

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The main decorative coatings for the exterior decoration of fireplaces

Today, there are many different options for decorative coatings that are used for external fireplace decor. Next, we consider in more detail the most popular of them.

Stucco decorative

This is the most budgetary and easiest option to execute. But despite its simplicity, thanks to the plaster, you can create many different decorative effects, and to enhance the result - to cover with water-based paint.

The process of applying plaster to decorate the fireplace with your own hands is as follows:

• After you have erected a fireplace, let it dry a little.
• Cut fiberglass into small pieces.
• Add salt and fiberglass to the plaster mix.

Important! In order for the adhesion of the plaster to be better, it should be applied over a special mesh.

• Clean the surface of the fireplace and close the seams.

Important! For further work, the fireplace should be warm, so first it should be slightly heated.

• Moisturize the surface, and you can start applying the stucco mixture. This should be done by spraying.
• After the first coat has been applied, it must be allowed to dry.
• Once the first coat has dried, it's time to apply the finishing coat of plaster with a brush or trowel. The surface must be leveled with a grater, making circular movements.

Important! Pay attention to the fact that the finish layer should be no more than 0.5 centimeters.

Drywall

This decorative finish is made exclusively for electric fireplaces, as in other cases it is fire hazard. The fastening of the material in this case is performed on a pre-prepared frame.

Important! When vertically mounting vertical racks, make sure that the joints between the sheets are as neat as possible.

In order to decorate the fireplace with your own hands with drywall, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

• Mark the surface of the fireplace structure to fix the profiles.

Important! Labels should be placed strictly on the level so that they are even.

• According to the marking, fasten the frame racks using screws.
• Mount the horizontal frames between the uprights.
• Once the base is ready, you can proceed with plasterboard casing. For its fastening, self-tapping screws should be used.
• Dampen the tape in gypsum and seal the joints with it.
• Using metal corners, fix the finished structure.

Stone fireplace decoration

This is a very expensive finishing material that gives the fireplace an expensive and sophisticated look. In addition to its external data, the facing stone has high performance properties and fits easily into any interior.

Important! If the financial opportunity does not allow the use of natural stone, you can purchase or make yourself artificial. In appearance and its characteristics, it is in no way inferior to natural.

Both natural and artificial stone are mounted on the surface of the fireplace using tile glue or mastic.

Important! In order that you do not have unforeseen situations when laying, and the figure lay flat, you can pre-lay it on the floor and evaluate the finished result.

Fireplace Tiles

This is the most popular cladding option for such structures. For these purposes, the following materials are most often used:

1. Clinker tiles are a traditional option.
2. Majolica - pressed glazed elements with a pattern applied to them.
3. Terracotta - is a unglazed material for decoration.
4. Porcelain tile - most often used for decorating fireplace structures in private households with a large area.

Important! When choosing a finishing material, always pay attention to the size of the tile. Large elements are quite simple to install, however, they are difficult to fix on all kinds of niches and shelves.With small elements it is much easier to work in hard-to-reach places, but they will have to spend more time laying.

When tiling a fireplace, a very important point is the correct choice of adhesive. It must be heat-resistant and not deform with increasing temperature. After you have decided on the shape and size of the tile, you can proceed directly to its laying:

• Conduct preparatory work on the fireplace surface - removing the old coating and deepening the seams.

Important! You can not remove the old coating, and on top of it with the help of screws, fix the metal mesh.

• Using glue, level the base, let it soak and dry.
• Mark the surface to facilitate laying.

Important! Start laying tiles from the bottom row.

• Using a spatula, apply glue to the back of the decorative element and attach it to the base. Tap the surface with a rubber mallet.
• Do the same actions with other elements.

Important! In order for the seams to be the same size, special plastic crosses should be used during installation.

• Once you have finished laying the tiles, immediately remove the remaining glue, and then leave for a day until completely dry.
• Using a mineral paste-like grout, fill the joints and smooth them with a damp sponge.
• Leave again for a day until completely dry.
• Treat the seams with a dirt repellent.

Decorative tiles

This is a very unusual and elegant lining. For decoration, you can use elements with different textures, all kinds of patterns and embossed surfaces.

Important! The main difference between a tile and a tile is the presence of a rump, which allows you to accumulate heat and thereby increase heat transfer.

In order to decorate a fireplace with your own tiles, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

• Prepare the material. To do this, carefully inspect it and arrange it.
• Using a grinder, fit the cladding parts to one size.
• Fill the tile rump halfway with a mixture of clay and brick debris. Insert a piece of metal wire into it. Fold the edges slightly.
• Fasten a soft wire to the middle of the already installed rod.
• Fill the rump with clay mixture to the end.
• Attach the prepared element to the surface of the fireplace, and hide the wire in the masonry seam.

Important! To connect the tiles it is best to use P - staples.

• With the rest of the elements do the same.

Wood fireplace mantel

This is a fairly popular and expensive decorative fireplace surface. Basically, materials from valuable wood are used for this.

Important! For a more budgetary decor, inexpensive varieties of wood are also used, which are processed with special solutions to give the appearance of the most valuable species. Unfortunately, such materials are short-lived.

Before finishing, the wood is always wiped with a flame retardant to increase its refractory properties.

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Finishing touches

Sometimes the exterior finish of the fireplace design is so rich and varied that it does not require any accessories. But when additional decor is needed, the fireplace is an excellent area for the manifestation of your imagination and artistic taste, since you can use both the structure itself and the area close to it for these purposes.

There are a lot of options for decorative elements. It can be either a tapestry or photographs, art paintings or an artificially aged mirror. The choice of such accessories depends solely on the style of the room, the fireplace model and your taste preferences.

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Useful Tips

Finally, we want to offer you some useful tips that will help you in the process of decorating and decorating a fireplace:

• If the fireplace does not provide for the presence of a chimney, you can create its visual presence.To do this, you need to place a large mirror or several paintings above the fireplace. Thus, you visually delimit the space.
• If the chimney wall is made of plaster, you can make it the main emphasis. To do this, decorate the fireplace with a few candles or candlesticks.
• To maintain a common interior on the mantelpiece, you can place several items in the same style.
• If you do not have a mantelpiece, then it can be replaced with a regular one. The most important thing is that it should be smaller than the fireplace itself in width.

Important! To maintain balance, you can attach two short shelves, while placing them asymmetrically.

• Do not place flammable objects on the mantelpiece.

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Stock footage

A fireplace in the house is a guarantee of warmth and coziness, a fireplace near which the whole family gathers and awaits guests. Therefore, it is very important not only to build it correctly, but also to decorate it so that it succinctly fits into the general interior of the room. And in order for you to succeed, you should follow the recommendations of our experts, are not afraid to experiment and be patient!