DIY Electric Fireplace Mantel Surround & Bookshelves

[goofiefoot]

The house we bought in Rockport is the first house we've ever owned that didn't come with a wood-burning fireplace. Down in South Texas, we figured we didn't need it, so it wasn't a must have (let's not talk about the big freeze this year).

We still like the look of a fireplace, so for our anniversary, I bought my wife an electric fireplace, and built an enclosure and bookshelves as a centerpiece of our living room.

Here's the link - FIREPLACE INSERT

I will be posting videos to my new YouTube channel, and thought I'd log the progress here. I started with the mantel enclosure. The frame is 1x12 lumber, and I trimmed it out to match the trim in our house.

Check out the video here for more details on the build ->

More to come soon!

 

[shoeless]

Cool, I’ve been talking about doing this for our bedroom for a couple years now.

 

[tarbellb]

Ive done this for a client, makes a huge difference for look and feel.

Did the electric fp have a spec'd gap for combustibles? They operate fairly cool, but always a concern.

 

[goofiefoot]

Ive done this for a client, makes a huge difference for look and feel.

Did the electric fp have a spec'd gap for combustibles? They operate fairly cool, but always a concern.

There was not a gap specified, but I did cut holes in the interior top support board to correspond with the top vents on the fireplace. We have a gas furnace in our house, so we would rarely use the heat function on this fireplace. Either way, it should be nice and safe.

 

[goofiefoot]

Making progress, and got a new video posted!

I worked on the bookshelves which flank each side of the fireplace mantel. These are simple and sturdy shelves that can be used in many configurations and use cases. I plan to build more for another wall in my living room.

Check out the video here for more details on the build ->

The next episode will show this thing all finished and installed! Enjoy!

 

[goofiefoot]

And we're all done! I posted the final video of this build on YouTube. We've been enjoying this fireplace - even when it's not cold, it's nice to have the ambiance.

Here are all 3 videos for reference:

Part 1: Building the mantel -

Part 2: Building the bookshelves -

Part 3: Finalizing the build and installation! -

I've enjoyed this build, and I hope you've enjoyed following along!

 

[goofiefoot]

Finalizing this piece took a lot of sanding. During the build I worked to match up edges as closely as possible, but there were still plenty of edges to sand down to match.

I filled cracks and nail holes with caulk, and got to painting.

After priming, and a few coats of enamel, we got the entire piece installed! The shelves are bolted to the main mantel so they can be easily disassembled and moved, if need be.

The fireplace is nice. It's got a heater option, though we've only used that a few times. Being able to change the intensity of the flame, turn on the crackling fire sound, and choose LED lighting colors allows for quite a bit of customization.

Here's the link again to the fireplace we used - Valuxhome Electric Fireplace

Thanks for following along on this build!

 

[SeanConklin]

Looks great man!! I admire your patience and willingness to see it through to completion. I will watch the videos in short order, I was just impressed with the finished product, well done!

 

[goofiefoot]

Looks great man!! I admire your patience and willingness to see it through to completion. I will watch the videos in short order, I was just impressed with the finished product, well done!

Thank you!