Do-it-yourself drywall fireplace: step-by-step work algorithm

Fireplaces from drywall refer to decorative elements that are most often installed in apartments. Due to the variety of facing materials, such designs can be combined with various interiors. Everyone can make a drywall fireplace with their own hands, since it is enough to have minimal skills in working with drywall material and strictly adhere to the instructions.

Features of false plasterboard fireplaces

The use of a full-fledged fire in such an artificial fireplace is strictly prohibited. You can find articles on the Internet that provide instructions for decorating plaster fireplaces to use a real flame, not an imitation. Experts categorically do not recommend implementing such instructions in practice, since the consequences can be fatal.

Assembling a false fireplace from drywall with your own hands allows you to get not only an exquisite element of the interior, but also a heating device. Heating in such units is carried out by means of special heating elements, which are fed with energy from the electrical network.

What are the advantages of self-made false fireplaces?

Decorative plasterboard fireplaces have many advantages. Let's consider the advantages of using such devices in more detail:

• an imitation of a plasterboard fireplace is allowed to be installed in any apartment. Moreover, for such work, you do not need to obtain any permits;
• the shape of the device is matched to the features of a particular interior, which is very convenient;
• the assembly of a fake oven is carried out using simple materials that can be easily purchased on the market or in any specialized store;
• the absence of a source of open fire allows ensuring the safety of such a structure;
• the organization of a drywall stove in an apartment or house is characterized by low financial costs;

• the upper partition of this design is distinguished by its functionality, since it can be used as a stand for family photos (or any other items).

Note! If necessary, a do-it-yourself decorative plasterboard fireplace can be equipped with electric heating.

The organization of electrical heating is quite simple. As mentioned above, the use of an open flame in such structures is strongly discouraged. If you decide to use an open fire in such an imitation of a furnace, then you need to take care of covering the back panel and side surfaces with refractory materials. Such plating is done quite simply by hand. Photos of decorative plasterboard fireplaces with different heating options can be studied on the Internet.

Such decorative elements can not be fixed on the wall, which will allow you to move it anywhere in the room at the request of the owners.

Varieties of decorative plasterboard fireplaces

Depending on the purpose of use, there are two main types of these units:

• interior;
• electric.

In the first case, the stove is used as a decorative element of the interior. The imitation of tongues of flame in such a design is carried out due to the process of burning ethyl alcohol. Such a hearth is not suitable for full heating of the room. Today, the most popular are gypsum plasterboard (GKL) interior units. During the installation of such a device, there is no need to use refractory materials. Almost everyone can arrange such a false fireplace. Photos of such structures, as well as all the necessary drawings, can be easily found on the Internet.

All interior units can be conditionally subdivided into the following categories:

• imitating the burning of fire;
• imitating burning fire and smoldering logs;
• imitating a natural fireplace.

The third option is the most popular since it does not require a ventilation system. In the first two cases, ventilation may be required to remove flue gases.

The electrical device, in addition to serving as a decorative decoration for the interior, also serves as a heater. Electrical devices are characterized by high power and have an appearance that most closely resembles natural models of fireplaces. In specialized stores, as well as on the Internet, ready-made false fireplaces are sold. You can buy a ready-made structure to save time, however, from a financial point of view, it is better to assemble this unit from drywall yourself.

Do-it-yourself drywall fireplace: choosing a design

Installing a full-fledged fireplace in an apartment requires not only large financial costs, but also comes with other difficulties. But a room stove of this type creates a unique atmosphere in the house, so many owners decide to install a decorative plasterboard fireplace with their own hands. Photos of apartments with fireplaces indicate that this element often becomes the central "figure" of the interior and makes it unique. Photos will also help those wishing to get a false fireplace to decide on the design and choose the most appropriate option.

The dimensions and design of the simulated stove are determined according to the following rules:

• if you intend to install a fireplace that will be of medium size, you can place a small plasma TV inside it. Such a solution will allow simulating flames without installing gas burners and ventilation pipes;

• to simulate flames in a small device, you can use a regular LED photo frame. It will perform the same function as a plasma TV (picture transmission);
• to get as close as possible to a natural device, it is recommended to install an electric heating system in a decorative stove. In this case, you can get not only a decorative element of the interior that simulates a flame, but also a full-fledged heater.

Helpful information! Note that plasterboard corner fireplaces are most commonly used in small rooms. This solution allows you to save useful room space.

False fireplaces can also be used as a stand for a plasma TV. Using a construct in this way is fairly common practice.

How to choose a place for a plasterboard fireplace?

Before proceeding to the study of the instructions, which tells how to make fireplaces from drywall with your own hands, you need to decide on the choice of a place for it. If the installation of this device is planned in a large living room, then the best solution would be to place the fireplace at a point that corresponds to the middle of the longitudinal wall.

Optionally, you can also make a decorative chimney, which will give the structure the most believable look. The main thing is to decide on the size and design for creating a drywall fireplace with your own hands. A photo of structures equipped with a chimney will help to assess the feasibility of such a solution and the possibility of installing a pipe in your room.

Experienced craftsmen do not recommend mounting fake hearths in hard-to-reach points of the room. This rule especially applies to structures that are equipped with heating devices. Hard-to-reach places include:

• space in front of the heating radiator;
• points located near the doorway;
• places near cabinets and other bulky structures.

Creating a drawing for a plasterboard fireplace

A drawing or sketch is the first step in creating a decorative plasterboard fireplace with your own hands. The drawing and the project can be done independently or you can use the search on the Internet. Best of all, if the drawing is made in full size (scale 1: 1). In order to make such a drawing, you will need:

• a large sheet of paper;
• ruler;
• pencil or marker.

The drawing must be attached in the place where the gypsum board furnace will be mounted and visually make sure that the location of the structure is selected correctly. After that, you can start assembling the layout.

A drawing with the dimensions of a plasterboard fireplace should include every detail of the future design. Dimensions, relief, shape - all this must be noted when creating a furnace project from gypsum board.

Do-it-yourself drywall fireplace: layout

Experienced craftsmen advise, after completing the drawing of the drywall oven, to make its layout. This recommendation is especially true for beginners who have no experience in creating such structures. What is a layout for? The assembly of the model allows you to realistically evaluate the structure that will be assembled according to the drawing and to identify errors made at the stage of creating the project.

The materials and tools that are required to organize the layout - these are foam sheets and PVA glue - are of low cost. The assembly of the layout does not cause any problems and allows you to correct design errors before using expensive materials.

How to make a drywall fireplace with your own hands: materials and tools

To make a fireplace from gypsum plasterboard, you must purchase the following tools and materials:

• metal profile in the shape of the letter "P". Rails are used as guides;
• GKL;
• self-tapping screws for the frame structure. The length of the self-tapping screws should be approximately 14-15 mm;
• self-tapping screws are used to fix the gypsum board. The head of such self-tapping screws must be countersunk;
• ordinary dowels;
• tape measure (for measurements);
• screwdriver;
• puncher;
• Bulgarian;
• building level. You can use a plumb line as a level;
• sealing compound (silicone);
• putty;
• paint (water-based).

All of the above tools and materials are necessary for the assembly of a plasterboard false fireplace. You can buy them in almost any specialized store.

Related article:

Fireplace in the apartment and the best design options using it

The principles of using the fireplace as a key element of the interior to create a cozy environment in different styles. Popular design techniques.

Self-tapping screws must be special, designed to work with drywall, as well as suitable length. The last parameter depends on the thickness of the gypsum board.

Fake fireplace with your own hands. The instruction is step by step. Photos of stages of work

How to make false fireplaces for the living room or any other room? In order to answer the question of how to make a fireplace from plasterboard material, it is necessary to study the three main stages of its creation:

• implementation of the frame;
• sheathing of the structure using gypsum board;
• portal design.

The frame is the basis of the future portal of the furnace. The work of assembling the frame structure must be taken very seriously. Before installing the frame, it is necessary to apply markings on the surfaces to which the structure will adjoin. The markings convey the contours of the future furnace and allow you to estimate its real size.

Important! When marking, it is necessary to ensure that all lines are straight. As a result of the intersection of the line, the wall and the floor must form a right angle (90 °).

After completing the markup, you can proceed directly to the assembly of the fireplace from drywall with your own hands. Step-by-step instructions for making the frame are presented below.

To assemble the base of the back wall, guide profiles are fixed to the wall (according to the marking). Fastening of profiles is carried out using dowel-nails. The base of the rear wall includes two vertical and transverse posts. When assembling the frame, it should be remembered that the numerical indicator (cm) from the floor to the lower cross member is the determining factor in the height of the parapet.

Next, the guide profiles are fixed along the contour of the combustion chamber. After that, the profile is fixed on the floor, which is fixed along the parapet line. Then the front pillars are mounted, the distance from which to the back wall is an indicator that determines the depth of the fireplace. The front struts are joined together by means of crossbars. Docking of the front struts with the rear wall is carried out using cross members located in the horizontal plane.

After assembling the front and rear pillars of the fake oven, you can proceed to the installation of the parapet racks and their strapping with crossbars. Then, in the front part of the unit frame, the posts of the combustion compartment are fixed, which must be docked with the main posts by means of crossbeams.

At the end, the roof of the combustion compartment is mounted. To make a curved arch, you need to cut the profiles and bend them in order to get the desired shape. The spacing of the cuts should be approximately 1.5 cm.Thus, the assembly of the frame of the portal for the fireplace is made of plasterboard.

On the Internet you can find all the necessary materials for assembling a fireplace with your own hands from plasterboard. Photos of frame structures at different stages of assembly will help to do this work correctly.

Do-it-yourself plasterboard fireplace: step-by-step instructions for sheathing the frame

In order to sheathe the fireplace with plasterboard sheets, you first need to cut them out (in accordance with the dimensions indicated in the project). Consider the order of actions that must be taken to cut the gypsum board:

• first you need to press the ruler to the surface of the gypsum board. The ruler must be pressed strictly along the cutting line;
• then you need to hold a construction knife along the ruler;
• after making the cut along the line, you need to break the drywall sheet with your hands and cut through the cardboard layer on the other side.

Helpful information! Complex elements of the fireplace (for example, the arch of the combustion compartment) require high precision when cutting them out of the gypsum board. Therefore, it is necessary first to mark such parts on a sheet of graph paper.

Cutting out complex parts is performed using a special device - a jigsaw. On the Internet, you can find various photos of drywall fireplaces made using intricate elements.

The finished parts are fixed on the frame by means of self-tapping screws, which must be suitable for working with plasterboard material. The step indicator for such self-tapping screws ranges from 10 to 15 cm.

It is necessary to strictly follow the algorithm of actions proposed below in order to do it yourself with a drywall fireplace. Step-by-step instructions for covering the fireplace frame with plasterboard parts looks like this:

• a chamfer is cut from the joints of sheets that are located in the same plane (the width of the cut should be approximately 5 mm);
• after that, the joints are reinforced. For this, a special serpyanka mesh is used;
• then the joints are covered with two coats of primer. The second coat of primer is applied only after the first coat is completely dry;

• after the second layer of primer has dried, the resulting structure is treated with putty (starting);
• then the entire portal is processed with putty.

Thus, a ready-made portal for a plasterboard fireplace is obtained. It will not be difficult to do it with your own hands, however, all the above nuances must be taken into account.

How can you arrange a false fireplace with your own hands? Photos of interesting ideas

Consider the most popular materials used to decorate fireplace decor:

• self-adhesive film or "self-adhesive";
• ceramic tiles (the most common material for decoration);
• stone (natural or artificial);
• brick;
• marble;
• wood.

In addition to the above materials, forged metal elements can be used for facing a decorative fireplace. However, an important point when choosing a facing material for a portal is that the decorative structure should not be overloaded.

You can do the cladding of the fireplace with any material with your own hands, but experienced craftsmen do not advise you to design the stove yourself if the cost of the material is significant (for example, natural stone).

Facing the fireplace portal with ceramic tiles is quite simple. To do this, you need to use a special tile glue and use it to glue the tiles to the portal. Instead of glue, you can use liquid nails, which have also proven themselves well in this matter.

Corner false fireplaces with their own hands from drywall: features of the arrangement

When choosing a place for a corner fireplace, it is worth considering two basic rules:

• it is advisable to choose the corner of the room that is least involved;
• A popular solution is to install a decorative stove in the corner opposite the front door.

As in the case of installing a central fireplace, first you need to draw up a drawing of the future unit, as well as make markings on the walls and floor.

Note! If you want to install an electric heating device inside a decorative corner fireplace, then it is recommended to pre-connect the power supply.

The assembly of the frame and its subsequent cladding is carried out in the same way as when organizing a central fireplace. The design itself will, of course, differ due to the installation location. It is advisable to study the photo of false fireplaces before installation. It is quite simple to make a corner oven with your own hands, however, you need to follow the instructions for assembling the frame, as well as its plasterboard plating and cladding.

Experts also advise paying attention to the reliability of fastening the gypsum board using self-tapping screws. It is recommended to screw them up to the end so that they do not protrude above the surface of the drywall.

Having completed a regular or corner fireplace with your own hands from plasterboard material, you can get not only a beautiful interior element, but also a heating device for the room. In addition, such hearths have an upper panel - a shelf on which you can place a variety of decor items.