Have you recently moved into a new home? Do you want to remodel the main room of your existing home? If either of these questions describes your plans, chances are that you’ve considered retouching or installing a fireplace. Since the fireplace is a prominent focal point in the home, it is important to give it plenty of care. This element not only needs to look good in its own right, but it also dictates several other home decor decisions within your home.
Because the fireplace is so important to the feel and appearance of a room, we are going to help you out with some fireplace makeover ideas. We’ll cover all of the steps you need to take, where to find resources online to help you, which fireplace type you should choose, and we will answer any additional questions that you will have throughout your journey.
Inside of This Article, You Will Find:
- What Is So Great About a DIY Fireplace Remodel For Your Living Room? – We begin by explaining exactly why the fireplace deserves attention during your next home makeover.
- What Steps Should Homeowners Take Before Starting Their Fireplace Makeover? – Before starting a project like this, there are several things you can do to make things easier on yourself. We cover these steps.
- Where Are Some Good Places To Find Fireplace Makeover Ideas and DIY Tutorial Guides? – If you are having trouble finding resources to help with your project, this section is required reading.
- How Does The Material Choice Affect The Style of Different Fireplace Makeover Ideas? – Here we talk about mantel styles for a fireplace, materials, and other things you need to think about carefully.
- Should People Build a Custom Fireplace Surround or Buy a Fireplace Mantel To Install? – Whether you want to build a custom fireplace yourself or purchase one to install, we cover the pros and cons of each choice.
- What Are The Main Problems With a Traditional Wood-Burning Fireplace or a Built In Gas Fireplace? – Since you are giving your fireplace a makeover, now is the perfect time to understand what the problems with certain fuel types are.
- Is an Electric Fireplace Truly Better Than Other Fireplace Types? – Once you know the issues with other fireplace types, you need to know why electric fireplaces are a great choice. We cover that here.
- Are Brand Name Electric Fireplaces Superior To Generic Brand Electric Fireplaces? – Some people think that generic brands of fireplaces are just as good as name-brand fireplaces. We explain why this is far from the truth.
- Which Types of Electric Fireplaces Should Be Used For a Fireplace Makeover? – Since you are doing a makeover for your home’s fireplace, we talk about types of electric fireplaces that will be best for the job.
- Why Do So Many People Choose MagikFlame Electric Fireplaces For Their Home Improvement Projects? – Even if you know what type of fireplace to get, you may not know why MagikFlame is the best brand to pick for your project. We cover all the great features you will appreciate.
What Is So Great About a DIY Fireplace Remodel For Your Living Room?
If you already have an existing fireplace inside of your home, or the home you just bought has a fireplace inside of it, chances are that the fireplace looks outdated. Unless the fireplace was installed recently, a dated fireplace can be a big eyesore for a home. A new look for your fireplace design will give new life to the room that it is in.
There are a few different ways that you can go about performing a fireplace update. The first is that you can simply install a completely new fireplace. This would involve removing any fireplace that you currently have inside of your home. Where the old fireplace was located, you can put the new one with a new mantel. This would be the easiest way to completely start fresh with your design.
The other main way to update your fireplace area is to give it a facelift. This can be replacing the mantel with one that you have built or a new one that you have purchase. You can redo the bricks by painting them a new color. You can sand down and refinish any of the wood in the mantel.
Regardless of how much you want to change with your fireplace area, the benefits are far-reaching. One of the immediate things you’ll notice is how much better it looks. A modern design, whether it is still rooted in traditional elements, keeps your home from looking old. Regardless of how nice your fireplace is, if the fireplace looks like it is something that came right out of the 1970s, it won’t make the best first impression with your guests. Instead, with an updated fireplace, people visiting will immediately notice it. They will be quick to compliment the job that you have done.
For many people, the fireplace that was in their home when they bought the place is the fireplace that they still have and use. These people had no say in what type of fireplace it was and the style that was chosen. By doing a makeover of your fireplace, you are making something perfect for your tastes. Not only will it be the exact fireplace that fits your aesthetic preferences, but it will feel like it is truly yours. You can be proud of the fireplace after your makeover is over. It will be a reflection of how much you care about your living space. This feeling will be even greater if you do most of the work yourself rather than hiring a professional worker to do the makeover for you.
Of course, there are more reasons to updating your fireplace beyond the visual impact. Another great reason to update your fireplace is to change the type of fuel that you will be using. Most older fireplaces already found in a home burn wood logs to produce heat. Doing a makeover of your fireplace is the perfect time to check out alternative fuel sources like gas, or even better, electricity. Later in this article, we will go into greater detail about the advantages and disadvantages of various fuel types for a fireplace. If you are unsure of what fuel type is the right choice for your fireplace, make sure that you read that section of the article extremely carefully. It is important to know the pros and cons of each fuel type for a home fireplace so that you can make an educated decision.
What Steps Should Homeowners Take Before Starting Their Fireplace Makeover?
If you have decided to do a makeover of the fireplace that is in your home, you might be extremely eager to get started. Unfortunately, you don’t want to rush into things too quickly. There are some things that you need to consider and some steps that you should take first.
To start, it is important to create a plan for the makeover of your fireplace. You need to make a step by step plan of everything you need to do. This will be different depending on the fireplace you currently have installed in your home, which parts of your fireplace area that you want to change, and whether or not you will be doing the work yourself. However, if you don’t start with a good plan, then you will be wandering throughout the project and you’ll likely make many mistakes along the way. These mistakes will slow you down, causing you to waste time, money, and energy correcting the mistakes. With a solid plan, you have a roadmap that will limit the mistakes you make along the way. Of course, the plan can have some flexibility. If you are unsure about some steps during your project, then part of your plan should be to research these steps and add more to the plan once your research is complete.
Another important thing to do before you start is to list all of the priorities that you will have with your design. Do you want a grand fireplace to dominate the room? Are you looking for something simple and minimalist? Do you want specific materials to be used so that it matches other elements in your home that are already present? You need to ask yourself all of these questions and more about your priorities. List out everything that you are looking for in a fireplace. Once you have a list, mark the things that are most important to you. Which parts are necessary? Which elements can you be flexible on? Which parts of your design aren’t too important compared to the other elements? Because most people are working within constraints like a budget, an existing home decorating style to match, and their personal experience with similar projects, knowing what your priorities are is essential. This will allow you to get a finished fireplace that will make you happy while remaining flexible enough to stick to your budget and other constraints.
Do you already know exactly what you want your fireplace to look like? To many people, you might have a vague picture in your head, but many of the details aren’t decided. This is why it is important to collect inspiration for your design. You should be looking up fireplace pictures online and seeing what kind of designs are out there that are similar to your vision. Not only will doing this help guide your ideas into a stronger focus, but it can introduce you to many elements and ideas that you hadn’t previously thought of. Collect as many images and articles as you can around fireplaces that inspire you for your project.
While looking up inspiration for your design, it is a good time to find tutorials, demonstrations, and more to help. This is essential if you plan on doing the work yourself. You will want to find blog posts where people did makeovers of their fireplace similar to the one that you want to do. You can find YouTube videos of fireplaces, mantels, and more being installed. Videos can have professionals or amateurs. It is best to watch both types. The professionals will show you how to do everything perfectly. However, watching some of the amateur makeovers serve a purpose as well. By seeing people with little experience remodeling their fireplace area, it helps to demystify the process. You’ll see just how easy the makeover will be for you to handle by yourself. You’ll also be able to see little mistakes and issues they run into so that you can prepare yourself beforehand.
We talked about budgets slightly already, however, you must set a specific budget and stick to it. Look at the costs associated with makeovers similar to yours when you are doing your research. This will give you a good idea of how much you can expect to spend. Certain materials will cost more than others. You want to make sure that you are choosing budget-friendly materials, whatever your budget might be.
Another thing that you need to do is set a deadline for when you want your project to be finished. Without a proper deadline, it can quickly turn into a project that seems to never end. By having a set deadline, you can make sure to pass important milestones by a certain time. While some makeover jobs will have longer deadlines than others, you need to set one that is accurate to your specific goals. Make sure to consider how much time you will have to work on it every day until it is finished. Also, if you have never done any work like this, make sure to include some extra time in your deadline to correct any small mistakes that you make throughout the job. Even if you are planning to hire professionals to do the work for you, you still need to communicate with them about when it should be done and make sure that they stick to the deadline. This also means that you need to have materials ready for them before they start so that they can get their work done quickly.
Before you start doing any of the work, take some “before pictures” of your fireplace area. Many people that undertake fun home projects like this end up forgetting to take pictures of the space and end up regretting it. By taking pictures of what your fireplace looked like before, you feel more satisfied with your accomplishment since you can easily compare it to how it looked previously.
Lastly, plan a special gathering for when your fireplace is finished! This can be a fun dinner party with friends and family or it can be a festive Christmas part if it is close to the holidays. Celebrate the makeover of your fireplace by showing it off to people who had already seen what your fireplace used to look like. Not only is this a fun thing to do immediately after remodeling any part of your home, but it is a great way to keep you on deadline. If you invite people for a party in two weeks, then you’ll be sure to get all of the work finished well before the party. The last thing you want is to have the fireplace only partially finished when guests have arrived.
Where Are Some Good Places To Find Fireplace Makeover Ideas and DIY Tutorial Guides?
Finding design ideas online is easier than ever. This is because there are so many websites and apps that are built around showing off images. The two most popular of these sites will be Instagram and Pinterest.
Instagram has roughly a billion users that are active on its platform. While many of these are regular people, millions are based around sharing images of interior design, and a subset of that will be specifically for fireplaces and other cozy spaces in a home. You can do a search on Instagram for images like that because Instagram’s search function is so robust. Search for the specific style of fireplace that you are most interested in. You’re bound to get thousands of images to look through. You can refine your search with any additional details. Once you have found some popular images of fireplaces that you like, check to see what hashtags the image has been tagged with. You can follow any of the tags that are about fireplaces and home renovation to find other images that have been tagged with the same hashtags.
Pinterest is another popular resource to find images of home renovation projects like fireplace makeovers. You can find tons of inspiring photos. Additionally, with Pinterest, it is common to find tutorials right there on the website. Many people share resources of exactly how certain renovations and projects were accomplished. You can find a step by step walkthrough of how somebody resurfaced their mantel or added a stone backing to the wall around the fireplace. There are endless examples. Many of these are bound to give you great ideas for your project, as well as a starting point of what steps will be needed to achieve the same thing.
Like we mentioned before, finding YouTube videos showing these renovations being done in a demonstration can be an excellent resource. You will have a clear understanding of what is involved and will be exposed to plenty of other ideas along the way. There is no shortage of excellent videos based on just about any type of fireplace project that you can imagine.
Don’t rule out Google images. By searching for the term “fireplace makeovers” with the specific style that you like, you will get an endless page of pictures that fit your exact description. Additionally, when using Google, make sure to check the websites that these images are on. You can find blog posts with additional ideas or tutorials on how that exact look was accomplished. You can also see the interior decorating and style language that they use. It can be frustrating to know what you like when you see it but not know what certain decorating styles and techniques are called. By finding websites and blog posts that talk about specific images that you like, you will learn all of the terms that that style of decorating uses. This will give you additional keywords when continuing your research to narrow down on more specific inspirational examples.
How Does The Material Choice Affect The Style of Different Fireplace Makeover Ideas?
The materials that you choose to use for your fireplace are going to directly contribute to the style of the fireplace, how much it will cost, and how difficult your project will be.
Take a simple brick fireplace for example. If you have a basic red brick fireplace in your home, you might be getting tired of it. However, you don’t necessarily need to tear down your brick fireplace and start over. Instead, you can simply do a brick fireplace makeover. The easiest way to do a brick fireplace makeover is by adding a whitewash to it or giving it a new paint color. You can add glossy paint or matte depending on what your preferences are. White paint will be best for a minimalist design. In some instances, a stone fireplace can be repurposed in the same manner. Natural brick stone can be updated with paint. You’d be surprised how easy a coat of paint can make it look completely fresh.
What if don’t have a stone fireplace but you want to add one? You can build one from scratch. It will be a large undertaking and demand a lot of hard work. However, instead of going through all of that, you can try faux stone. Faux stone walls can be accomplished using products like Airstone. It is lighter, easier to work with, and can look just as good as real stone around your fireplace. The only disadvantage is that over time it may chip or scratch. However, if using real stone around your fireplace isn’t viable, something like this can do the trick.
You can also consider a new wood mantel. This mantel can be as simple or ornate as you would like it to be. It can have crown molding for a grand and luxurious appearance. However, if you want something more subtle and rustic, you can install a beautiful wood beam mantel above your fireplace. It should have many rich grains and textures in the wood. The wood beam shouldn’t be sanded perfectly flat and smooth. Instead, let it be a little rough with the grain’s texture.
What about the wall being the fireplace? If the wall is looking boring, you can add shiplap to give that wall a unique appearance compared to the other walls in the room. This will put more emphasis on the space. This is also the perfect time to add some embedded bookshelves all around the outside of your fireplace, turning it into your little home library.
Maybe you like the wood mantle that you have but you want to reface it with tiling. Tiling a fireplace can have a variety of styles depending on the tiles that you choose and the pattern that you place the tiles. A tile surround can use smaller rectangular tiles that are mostly monotone for a modern appearance. However, you can just as easily make a fireplace have an entirely different look by using colorful tiles in an intricate pattern. If this is the direction you’d like to head in, make sure to research tile patterns thoroughly in your research phase. You’ll want to find something perfect for your tile fireplace before beginning.
Should People Build a Custom Fireplace Surround or Buy a Fireplace Mantel To Install?
When doing a makeover of your fireplace and the surrounding area, there are three different options. There are pros and cons to each option, but after reading this section of the guide you should have a better idea of what you are leaning toward.
The first option is a DIY fireplace makeover where you do all of the work yourself. This can include building a DIY mantel with your hands, installing it on the wall, and making any other improvements to the space around it. The advantage of this kind of DIY project is that it is a fun and adventurous thing to do. The disadvantage is that you have to do work. Depending on your experience level, the task may seem overwhelming. Additionally, you will likely make a small mistake or two along the way, but that is part of the learning process. You can always correct these mistakes and you should allow for additional time to do so.
The second option is to buy a new mantel from a third-party website that sells mantels. Once it arrives at your home, you only need to install it around your fireplace securely. This takes some of the fun out of the project, but it is a safer option. You’ll know exactly what your fireplace will look like from the pictures of the mantel you are ordering. Additionally, it is much less work to do. Installing a pre-built mantel is much easier than building a mantel from scratch. You still get to have some fun installing the mantel, but with less hassle and headaches.
The third option is to hire professionals for the entire job. This can be professionals who built a custom mantel or install one for you that you have previously purchased. This is a great option if the work looks like it is too much to handle. While many fireplace renovation projects can be handled by people with only a little amount of experience, if your fireplace goals are ambitious, you need to hire a professional to make sure these goals are reached. Consider a professional for jobs that are overly complicated or involve extremely hard labor. Not only will a professional be able to finish the job faster than you would be able to finish it, but it will also result in a fireplace that looks like something out of a magazine.
What Are The Main Problems With a Traditional Wood-Burning Fireplace or a Built In Gas Fireplace?
To start, wood fireplaces are becoming less common in houses all across the US. Many regions don’t allow wood fireplaces to be built into new developments. The main cause for this restriction is the safety issues presented with wood fireplaces. They are a giant fire hazard to your home and the homes that surround you. In addition to the fire hazard, breathing problems can also arise. Certain amounts of smoke and carbon monoxide end up expanding into your home. Not all of it makes its way out of the chimney.
Even if you were lucky enough to live in a part of the country where building new wood fireplaces are allowed, the job itself is much more involved than most people will expect. Before you even start, you’ll need an architect to go over the plans of your fireplace and make sure it fits into the house design. After paying them for their consultation, a professional home builder will need to build the fireplace for you, as this is something most people don’t have the experience to do themselves. Homebuilders will ensure everything is done in a way that meets local safety regulations and building codes.
Gas fireplaces are an alternative fuel source that can replace wood fireplaces. However, despite them being around for a while, there is a reason they have never completely taken off in popularity. They can still be quite dangerous, especially for families with children and pets around the home. Carbon monoxide is still a byproduct of most gas fireplaces. Additionally, gas fireplaces don’t quite capture the magic of wood fireplaces. The flame colors are often disastrous and they lack a decent flickering effect that you would see with real wood.
Is an Electric Fireplace Truly Better Than Other Fireplace Types?
If you are looking for alternatives to a wood fireplace, electric fireplaces are where your eyes should be. Unlike gas fireplaces, high-end gas fireplaces do a great job of capturing the original magic traditional fireplaces have. With 3D fire effects that are holographically projected, you can have a fireplace that looks exactly like the real thing. MagikFlame fireplaces include these kinds of fire effects, complete with sparking embers and many flame styles to cycle between.
Electric fireplaces also have the benefit of extremely effortless installations. In many cases, electric fireplaces can be installed like many other pieces of furniture. Simply choose the location that the fireplace should be and set it into place. After you have placed the fireplace, the only other step is to plug it into any standard wall outlet. They aren’t just limited to your family room either. They can be installed in almost any room in the house that you would like them to be.
Electric fireplaces are completely free of the regular harmful emissions that are so common with burning wood or gas for heat. They also don’t present the same fire hazard considerations since no real flames are produced in electric fireplaces.
One of the best advantages of electric fireplaces is that they don’t have any cleaning, maintenance, or other requirements that are frequent with both wood and gas fireplaces. Quality electric fireplaces are the only real choice for people that are doing a makeover of their current fireplace.
Are Brand Name Electric Fireplaces Superior To Generic Brand Electric Fireplaces?
While there are many products on the market that might have generic brands that are equal in quality to popular brand names, this isn’t the case with electric fireplaces. Popular high-end brands of electric fireplaces are much better choices. They are built more reliable with superior materials. High-end brands have more powerful heaters that work more efficiently. This means you’ll save more on your next heating bill than you would with a poor-quality generic fireplace. In addition, high-end brands of electric fireplaces like MagikFlame feature completely realistic fire effects while generic brands don’t.
Which Types of Electric Fireplaces Should Be Used For a Fireplace Makeover?
While there are many types of electric fireplaces, if you are doing a makeover of your old fireplace, then a fireplace insert is the best choice. They can be slid right into the opening of wood fireplaces or replace the space where gas fireplaces are located.
Of course, converting old fireplaces isn’t all that they do. They can still be used even if you don’t have a fireplace inside of your home. They can be embedded directly into the drywall for a flush and modern appearance. A custom mantel can be built and installed around them.
Why Do So Many People Choose MagikFlame Electric Fireplaces For Their Home Improvement Projects?
The reason that MagikFlame fireplaces are so popular is the high quality that their fireplaces are known for. The fire effects inside of them are the most realistic. Their heaters are both powerful and efficient. While they have several standard models of fireplaces that you can choose from, they offer a MagikFlame insert that is perfect for your next home makeover. The insert includes all of the MagikFlame features that people love:
- Ultrarealistic Holographic Fire Effects
- Serene Crackling Log Sounds
- Powerful 5,200 BTU Heat
- Simple To Use Smartphone App
