Since moving into our home seven years ago, I’ve never been completely satisfied with the fireplace. The stone cladding didn’t match my style, and the off-centered gas fireplace always bothered me. I dreamed of a modern, concrete look that would fit our family room’s aesthetic. While relocating the fireplace wasn’t feasible within our budget, I finally decided to take the plunge with a DIY concrete fireplace makeover. I’m thrilled to say the results exceeded my expectations! This project not only transformed the fireplace but also cost less than $200—much less than I anticipated for such a dramatic change.
If you are a visual person you can find the Youtube video linked below
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Materials
- (8) 2x4x8 wood
- (2) Feather finish mix(one box should be enough if your fireplace face is smaller)
- L bracket
Supplies
Tools
- Chisel (the exact brand I used is no longer available)
- Pocket hole jig (the one I used) (smaller one)
- Metal shears (to cut corner beads)
- Circular saw & saw track (if needed for cutting into LVP flooring to extend the fireplace hearth)
Tools & Materials Needed to Move Outlet and Light Switch
Materials Needed to Patch Up the Wall
Planning and Design
Challenges with the Design
Since moving the gas fireplace to the center of the wall wasn’t an option, I had to come up with a plan to make it appear balanced. I chose to extend the fireplace face. However, in deciding to do this, I faced another issue: centering the fireplace face on the wall meant that the light switch and outlet to the left of the fireplace would be in the way.
I considered extending the outlet and light switch to the fireplace face, but after creating a 3D model, I realized that wouldn’t look good.
After debating back and forth, I decided to move them both to the adjacent wall. I mean, how hard could that be???
If you are doing this, don’t be like me and forget to take a detailed picture of how the wires were connected. It took us over five hours to figure out what we did wrong…
Revamping the Nook
I also wanted to update the nook next to the fireplace. I am no longer into the farmhouse wood panel look, so I wanted to update to a clean look with built-in storage to help hide the clutter and make it more visually appealing.
I used Live Home 3D to create a 3D model of the fireplace area to visualize my design. I will share the details of how I built this in an upcoming blog post and detailed video.
Planning
Once I finalized the design, I planned how to build the fireplace face frame, as well as the cabinet and shelf for the nook, and made my list of materials.
To keep the fireplace from protruding too much, I decided on an extension of about 3.75 inches, equivalent to the width of a 2×4 plus a 1/4-inch backer board.
Here’s a 3D rendering of my plan using SketchUp:
Since we already had an existing hearth, I extended it along the wall as well. This required cutting into the existing flooring, an important step to ensure a seamless finish and to provide our LVP floors with the necessary expansion gap to prevent buckling.
Step by Step Instructions to DIY your Own Concrete Gas Fireplace
Step 1: Remove the mantle
Depending on how your mantel is mounted, the removal process might differ from mine. My mantel was secured with nails. If there’s caulk around your mantel, be sure to cut it with a utility knife before attempting removal.
After cutting the caulk with a utility knife, I used a pry bar and hammer to remove the mantel.
Step 2: Demolish the Stone Fireplace Face
The easiest way to remove stone from your fireplace is by using a demolition hammer, which you can rent. However, we chose not to go the easy route to stay within our budget. It wasn’t extremely difficult, but it definitely required some effort!
We used a chisel and sledgehammer. If renting a demolition hammer fits your budget, definitely rent one! It took us about an hour to demo and clean the fireplace face. We used a pry bar to remove the cement from the drywall. The drywall was damaged since the stones were installed with cement directly on it, with a steel mesh in between.
Step 3: Cut Into the Existing Flooring
Since this is a permanent fixture, I made sure to cut my LVP flooring, leaving an expansion gap to prevent damage. I used my circular saw with a track and carefully adjusted the blade depth to avoid cutting through the subfloor.
For more details on how to install LVP floors, check out my blog post, How to Install LVP Flooring for Beginners. I didn’t install these LVP floors, but I did install the ones on my top floor.
Because there’s a layer of glued flooring under our LVP, we had to scrape it off with a scraper.
Cutting into the floors was terrifying, but I’m so glad we did it!
Step 4: Build the Fireplace Face Frame & Hearth Frame
I used 2x4s to build both the fireplace face frame and the hearth frame, connecting the pieces using pocket holes. I attached the frame to the wall by screwing it into the studs.
I strategically positioned the vertical 2x4s so that the horizontal ones would align with the wall studs. Below, you can see close-up pictures of the frame.
Step 5: Cut and Attach Cement Board to Wood Frame
Cut the cement boards to the appropriate size using a circular saw or an angle grinder with a carbide or diamond blade, we used an angle grinder with this blade. I aligned most of the cuts so the edge of the cement board matched up with a vertical 2×4 attached to the wall.
Use a drill and cement board screws to attach the cement boards to the 2×4 frame.
Leave a gap between each piece of cement board to prevent cracking.For the corners, overlap the pieces slightly while still leaving a gap (see picture below).
When placing the cement boards on the floor, do not place them directly on the floor. I used some of my son’s cards, stacking three to leave a small gap for the LVP flooring’s expansion space.
For the corners, I used drywall corner bead to make the corners look smooth, as I will show you in the next step.
Step 6: Tape the Cement Board Seams
Once the cement boards are attached with the screws, tape all seams between the cement boards using fiberglass mesh tape.
Step 7 Apply Thin-Set Mortar
Mix the thin-set mortar according to the directions.
Apply a thin layer over the tape using a putty knife.
For the corners, use corner beads cut to size and secure them with the thin-set mortar. I cut the corner beads with metal shears. I tried using scissors instead of metal shears but it made it more difficult to get a clean cut.
I let it dry for about 24 hours, once it’s completely dry, I sand down any rough raised spots if necessary.
Step 8: Apply the Concrete Finish
Using a drywall mud pan, mix small amounts of concrete with water. Gradually add water until the mixture has the consistency of thin pancake batter. It’s important to mix in small batches, as this dries quickly.
Apply the mixture to the cement board with a large putty knife, using long, even strokes with minimal pressure, then increase the pressure at the end to feather it out.
After one coat, the seams in the cement board may still be visible, but they should disappear after the third coat.
Below you can see what it looked like while the first coat was still drying
What t it looked like after the first coat dried below.
We applied three coats, lightly sanding with a 220-grit sanding sponge between each coat except for the final one.
I am so happy with how it turned out, and I’m so glad I finally tackled it. But now it feels like we need a bigger TV lol… We haven’t sealed the concrete yet, but I plan to find a matte concrete sealer soon to complete the look.
If you’ve been postponing your fireplace transformation, I hope this guide inspires you to take action! The process was easier and more affordable than I anticipated, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
