10 Design Mistakes & How to Fix Them
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Electric Fireplace Mantle DIY

I’m so excited to finally share about our electric fireplace mantle DIY!

This post has been a long time coming. And when I say “long time”, we’re talking ten years.

Oh gosh, that is embarrassing. When we first bought our 1906 farmhouse, I went on this rampage with Craigslist and collected chandeliers, tables, etc.

In all that, we found a mantle for $125.

But it sat for waaaaay too long. It really just served as a bookcase and collected dust.

Mantle Before by sheholdsdearly.com

Our intention was to turn it into a gas fireplace and we already had a gas line piped into our master bedroom, so it should have been a piece of cake, right?

Thrifted Mantle Makeover by sheholdsdearly.com

Wrong. The more we found out about the process, the more frustrated we became. It was going to cost $3,000-$5,000 and would require cutting a hole in the side of our house to add a sort of chimney for ventilation.

*This post contains affiliate links to products I know &/or love.

In the end, we just decided to go with an electric fireplace off Amazon. (Ours has since been discontinued, but here is a similar one.)

Electric Gas Insert by sheholdsdearly.com

It was so affordable and easy to use. You literally just take it out of the box and plug it into the wall!

Electric fireplaces have come a long way in the last decade and look really believable.

Electric Fireplace Mantle Diy by sheholdsdearly.com

It comes with a little remote and you can adjust the heat, fan, and lighting.

Just what we needed.

Farmhouse Fireplace by sheholdsdearly.com

For the mantle, we decided to remove the corbels (a choice that I am currently regretting, but I will add some more detail to it soon) and cut it down a little.

Upcycled Mantle by sheholdsdearly.com

The original mantle was super deep and was made for a gas fireplace. The easiest way to reduce the depth on something like this is to completely dismantle it and cut each individual piece down by 4 inches.

Upcycled Fireplace Mantle by sheholdsdearly.com

Once it was reassembled, we had to add in some filler pieces around the opening for the actual fireplace.

Mantle Makeover by sheholdsdearly.com
DIY Mantle Fireplace by sheholdsdearly.com

We screwed some scrap wood trim in place and caulked the cracks.

Mantle Decor Ideas by sheholdsdearly.com

Using the Magnolia Trim & Cabinetry Paint that we used on our millwork, we painted the mantle with two coats of paint.

Electric Fireplace Insert by sheholdsdearly.com

Once that paint had dried, we just simply slid the fireplace into place and plugged it into the wall. If I want to repaint the mantle, I can easily pull out the whole fireplace box and get to work.

Craigslist Mantle Fireplace by sheholdsdearly.com

Now we have a cozy spot to sit and I can’t wait to hang stockings on it for Christmas!

Upcycled Mantle Piece by sheholdsdearly.com

Let me know in the comments below if you have any kind of fireplace and what you like about it!

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Electric Fireplace Mantle DIY by sheholdsdearly.com

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