This Christmas we’re in a home that doesn’t have a fireplace or mantle, and in the past one of my favourite bits to decorate for the holidays was the mantle in our last home!
I was feeling a little uninspired this year with decorating, and while searching for DIY inspiration on YouTube I came across a whole bunch of videos creating fireplaces out of cardboard boxes, and I KNEW I had to try it out too!
I shared how it turned out over on my Instagram account (@jo.marie_blissfulbuilds) recently, and had so many people interested in how I made it, so I figured creating a step by step blog post would be the easiest way!
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What you'll need:
- A range of cardboard boxes
- Masking or cloth tape
- Scissors
- Paint
- Multi- purpose filler/ joint compound
- Sandpaper
- Gap filler
- Self Adhesive tiles (optional)
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Step 1: Building the fireplace
I found when picking boxes, that trying to find the exact same size boxes to make the sides of the fireplace would be best, that way I could work with what size they were already and would involve as little cutting as possible.
This isn’t always an option though, so you’ll have to resize each box to match as best as possible, by cutting them down and re-taping them.
You can see below that I did exactly that with the two top boxes, as I thought that leaving them full height would make the fireplace too tall, but you can build yours to whatever dimensions suits your space best.
Once the main structure was all cut and taped together, I wanted to add a base to the bottom and frame out the inside of the fireplace, just to add extra detail, and try to make it look as realistic as possible! If you check out Pinterest there are lots of different design options, so I’d definitely recommend having a look to see which one you prefer!
Step 2: Adding texture
I never actually saw anyone on YouTube do this style, but I love textured pieces, and I didn’t want to wrap it or have a brick look one like most of them I saw, so I thought I’d try covering it in a multi-purpose filler/ joint compound (just like the art I made), and it was the best decision!
Not only did it take away the cardboard look and really give it that stone look (my dad thought it was actually stone when he saw it in person), but it also helped hide the seams where the boxes were taped together.
At first I used the 1.5kg UNi-PRO multi purpose filler from Bunnings, thinking it would be enough, but once I used the whole tub and let it dry for 24 hours, I realised I really needed more. If your seams aren’t as noticeable as mine, the one tub might be enough, but I wanted to add more filler to those areas to create a flatter surface and hide the seams better.
I used the 2.25kg Gyprock multi purpose filler/ joint compound the second time around, also from Bunnings, which I much preferred, and was a lot better value!
Step 3: Sanding
Once the filler was completely dry, I went in with a fine sanding block and very lightly sanded over the harsh edges, making sure not to sand too much of the texture away!
Step 4: Filling the cracks
This step is only applicable if you have any cracks in the filler. I noticed on the first layer of filler there weren’t any cracks, only on the second layer, so I figure the thicker the filler, the more likely it is to crack!
But fortunately it’s an easy fix! I had this Selley’s gap filler in the garage, and since it’s white and a flexible formular, it worked perfectly to fill all of the cracks!
Step 5: Painting
Now that it’s all sanded down and the cracks filled, I could finally paint it. You can go with whatever colour you like, but I wanted to stick with a simple white paint.
I had some leftover wall paint from our new build, so I just decided to use that, but as long as it’s a matte water based paint, or possibly even an acrylic paint, it will work well, since a glossy paint won’t make the stone look as realistic.
The exact paint I used is Paper Plane by Tint paint – we used this throughout the whole house and it’s the perfect shade of cool white, very similar to Lexicon Quarter by Dulux.
Tint paint has no smell, no nasties & is Australian made, and you can colour match to any colour you want! We purchased all the paint ourselves, but I have a discount code that is “jomarie_bb” that will save you 10% off sitewide!
Step 6: Self Adhesive Tiles
This step is completely optional, you could just add the texture to the inside of the fireplace and paint, but I thought adding some stick on tiles might be fun!
I’ve seen the self adhesive tiles at Kmart for a while, but i never could think what project I could use them for, until now!
There is quite a large range of styles and colours, but I decided to try out the marble look ones, since we have actual marble mosaic tiling throughout our home.
They were $26 for a packet of 5 sheets, which is really quite reasonable, but I only wanted to use one packet, so I cut them to size and stuck them on just the back inside panel, and I think they really finished it off perfectly!
Step 7: Style it up!
Since it’s December, I’ve decorated it all with festive decorations, but I think it could look great just as it is, styled in non- seasonal decor, and perfect for Easter and Halloween too!
I hope this has inspired you to get crafty this Christmas and a helpful how to, but let me know if you have any questions at all!
Also make sure to check out my Instagram page @jo.marie_blissfulbuilds to see a better look at the end result in reels, and also the DIY Fireplace highlight that shows all of the above instructions in video form too! ♡