When we purchased our house it did not come with a fireplace. Honestly, I never really noticed the missing fireplace until our first Christmas. I desperately wanted a fireplace for our next winter; however, I did not have the budget for a built in fireplace. I decided to tackle a faux built in fireplace with shiplap surround.
Our living room was kind of bland and boring. I reused the furniture from our previous house and it no longer matched the aesthetic of our new modern farmhouse. After convincing my husband we needed a change, I went in search of the perfect faux fireplace.
Fireplace
I went back and forth on whether I should purchase an electric fireplace or buy a vintage fireplace mantel and attach it to the wall. In the end, my husband really wanted something that provided a heat source, as minimal as it may be.
I did extensive online searches for electric fireplaces. The problem I ran into a lot when searching for electric fireplaces online is they were all too short and looked like fake electric fireplaces.
After several hours of online research I located the perfect faux fireplace. The Juri Electric Fireplace by Darby Home Co from Wayfair. This fireplace ticked all of the boxes; it was white, it was tall, and it put out heat. When I first found and fell in love with this fireplace it was being offered at $1,369.99. Sadly at that time it was out of my budget so I waited. I kept checking Wayfair for sales and discounts because I was not about to pay $1,369.99 for an electric fireplace. A few months ago the day finally came; Wayfair was having a huge sale on electric fireplaces. I purchased The Juri Electric Fireplace by Darby Home Co from Wayfair for $783.52.
Wayfair provides great customer service. I received an email with my expected date of delivery for the fireplace. I wanted to make the fireplace look as built in as possible so I decided to create a shiplap wall behind the fireplace running all the way to the ceiling.
Shiplap on a Budget
The price of real shiplap at the box stores is astronomical. I found a great product at Home Depot for a fraction of the cost called 1/4″ x 8′ Knotty Pine Edge V Plank.
This product comes with 6 thin interlocking boards 8 feet in length. For my fireplace area I purchased 4 packs. It is important to measure your space and calculate the square footage you will need to cover prior to heading to Home Depot to purchase your boards.
I highly recommend this product because it is easy to work with and is inexpensive. If your budget allows you to go with a higher end shiplap or peel and stick shiplap go with whatever makes you comfortable.
Because I was framing the fireplace in shiplap and not coving the entire wall I bought a 1/4″ trim for the sides and top of my shiplap(the existing baseboards if you have them can act as the trim for the bottom). Once I had all of my materials it was time to get started on my shiplap wall before my fireplace arrived.
Materials
- Tape
- Nail Gun
- Level
- Measuring Tape
- Pencil
- Miter Saw
- Shiplap Material
- Edging Material
- Ladder
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Paintable Caulk
Preparing Materials:
I placed tape on the wall to mark the width of the fireplace. I attached one side of my 1/4′ trim to the outer edge of my tape using my nail gun and level. Once I had one of my trim pieces in place I started on the shiplap. It is important not to attach both trim pieces to the wall at the same time because you need space to interlock the shiplap.
I cut all of my shiplap wood down to my desired length using a miter saw. When installing shiplap I generally start at the top and work my way down to the bottom. However, for this project there was a wall bump out from the stairs in the middle of my desired shiplap location. I started applying shiplap from the bottom of the stair bump out down.
It is important to have help when you attach your first piece of shiplap to ensure the wood is being hung level.
Applying the Shiplap Planks
Place the first piece of shiplap flush against the wall. Use your level to ensure the shiplap is being hung on an even plane. Attach the shiplap to the wall using your nail gun. Once the first piece of shiplap is hung the project should move smoothly. Continue applying the shiplap down the length of your wall (after the first board is hung a level is no longer necessary).
I encountered an outlet plug during the installation of the shiplap. I simply cut the boards down to size to fit around the outlet plug using the miter saw.
Once all of the shiplap has been attached to the wall attach the remaining side trim and top trim to the wall using the nail gun. If there are small gaps in between your trim and your shiplap do not panic. Use paintable caulk to fill in the gaps and edges in the shiplap and trim.
Once the caulk has dried it is time to add paint. I used the same white washable paint I used in my Board and Batten or Bust project. I applied three coats of paint to the shiplap and trim.
Mounting the TV
There are some things I leave to the professionals. Mounting a television with hidden cords is outside of my comfort zone. I used Puls to mount my 70 inch television. Puls is great! They connect you with a professional in your area that will come out same day with a mount and hang your television. The total cost to have my television mounted with hidden cords was $300 and that included the mount. Well worth the money in my opinion!
Installing the Fireplace
After the fireplace came we assembled it and placed it in front of our completed shiplap wall. This is by far the best addition I have done to the house hands down. The fireplace completely changed our space and we could not be any happier. My husband loved it so much he wants to do the same thing in our bedroom!
Although this project was a little pricey it was worth every penny. I am loving every inch of our faux built in fireplace with shiplap.
