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Our DIY Faux Concrete Fireplace

March 11, 2021

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DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0072.jpg

Let’s start off with a giant AHHH!!!!!! Seriously, we cannot believe how INCREDIBLE this DIY Faux Concrete Fireplace turned out!! We can’t help but obsess over the majesty and magic vibes of the fireplace!  It is everything we dreamed it would be and MORE!

We wanted to create a focal point for the living room….something to anchor the space since the main level is an open concept combo of the living, dining and kitchen!  The living room needed something heavy to define the room and to cozy it up!  Enter the faux fireplace! A concrete fireplace seemed like the perfect fit!  We began dreaming + scheming of alllll the potential designs/finishings/sizes/material and settled on a clean, modern concrete fireplace with a simple ledge for the mantel. Let the work begin!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0039.jpg

We had sketched the plan out on paper a hundred different ways, but the last step was to measure + tape the outline on the wall!  Also, peep the cutie photobomber😍

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0040.jpg

Here is the final design + sizing!  This accounted for the perfect space in the living room, perfectly fit the TV, and has the optimal ‘firebox’ hole incase we ever decide to add an electric unit in the future!  Feel free to save this plan and use it if needed for your own DIY Faux Fireplace!

 

 

Bret built the main frame in the garage with 2x4s and a framing nailer! This is when the obsessive measuring & planning came in handy!  We knew all the dimensions so cutting & building was a breeze!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0041.jpg

After carrying in the pre-built frame, Bret knocked out attaching it to the ceiling joists & studs. (Also, you’ll see that we did a little bit of drywall patching!  There were a ton of holes in the wall where the previous home owners had cable ran! We weren’t fans of leaving random holes in behind the fireplace, so we patched them!)

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0042.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0043.jpg
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DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0045.jpg

We decided to add in a built in + hidden shelf to house allllllll of the TV accessories!  We measured where the best spot for the hole to fall based on where the TV would hide it and where the TV would be mounted!! We also added in a few extra studs to make mounting the TV EASY! This will be a great place to store the plugs, our router, and the TV’s power box!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0046.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0047.jpg

Up next was time to screw the backer-board in place! Carson wanted to help measure and score it! 😉 Teamwork makes the dream work!!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0048.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0049.jpgDIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0050.jpg

After covering the entire fireplace with backerboard, it was time to TILE!  WOO!  We chose to tile the ‘firebox’ to make the whole thing feel luxurious as heck! Here is a look at our tile choice and the different colors of concrete we mixed!  The black marble effect porcelain tile looked the best with the solid white concrete.  SUCH A VIBE!!🔥

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0051.jpg

Bret used a premixed tile adhesive to attach the tiles! IT LOOKS SO GREAT!!!!  We grabbed these tiles from Lowe’s!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0052.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0053.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0054.jpg

In-between the tiling, Brandie got to work on using mesh tape to cover the seams of the backerbaord!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0055.jpg

After the tile work was finished, it was getting late, but that didn’t stop us from getting the first coat of concrete up!!  Bret mixed the mortar to a cake-batter consistency!  To make for a quick and easy clean up we reused an old bucket to mix it in! To make mixing easier, Brandie would hold the drill/mixer while Bret slowly poured more mix into the bucket! Pouring the mix slowly allowed for the water & mortar to combine a bit nicer!

And here’s a pic of the mortar we used for the project!  We found this pure white mortar at Menards!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0056.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0057.jpg

THE MAGICAL PART!  Ahh!! This is when the fireplace officially started to feel substantial!! Bret taped off the wall and began applying the concrete mix with a trowel.  The goal of the first coat was to cover everything decently thick and even! It took him about 2 hours total to cover the entire fireplace!  We are so thankful we laid plastic down AND used contact paper around the bottom to catch the drops! SO handy!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0058.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0059.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0060.jpg
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DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0062.jpg

After letting the first coat dry overnight, Bret came back through with a second coat!  This coat took a bit longer because this time slow, steady & smooth was the goal!! We wanted the fireplace to have a softer texture, so Bret took his time working the concrete around to make sure everything looked GREAT! There was lots of stepping back and judging the look to get a consistent feel on the entire fireplace!  The second coat took about 5 hours from start to finish!

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0063.jpg

We let the second coat fully cure before moving on to the FUN part!! After everything was 100% dried, we started with hanging the TV!  This is when that built in + hidden shelf really comes in handy!  We are able to hide the cords/boxes for the TV inside the fireplace!! SO NICE!!!  We put the floorboards back down and cleaned everything up before moving the furniture into place.

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0064.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0065.jpgDIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0066.jpg

Here’s the final product!!! AHHH!!! It’s even more perfect than we hoped for!  The concrete is PERFECTLY textured.  It doesn’t flake off and is VERY tough!  It’s been completed for about a week now, and we haven’t had ANY issues with the finish…Roomba has even bumped up against is while vacuuming and left the fireplace unscathed!! WOO!! The Frame TV, staged firewood, and small decor pieces all add up to make this faux fireplace a complete SHOWSTOPPER!😍

DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0067.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0068.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0069.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0070.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0071.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0072.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0073.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0074.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0075.jpg
DIY White Concrete Faux Firepalce Bret and Brandie Blog | @bretandbrandie-0076.jpg

 

Check out the entire project as a video on Insta!
Here’s a quick link!

 

The Material List:

Our Decor:


*Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning we may profit if you click the link & make a purchase! Thank you for supporting us in even this smallest of way.

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  1. Kelsey says:

    Hey! Looks beautiful. Any update on how the mortar has stood up?

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