Photo: pinterest.ru Fireplaces have long been associated with the very concept of home, warmth and comfort. But it’s not possible to make a real one everywhere, and in city apartments this is rather an exception. And in private houses, it is better to plan a full-fledged brick fireplace at the construction stage. But with a good imitation, everything is much simpler - it will perfectly complement your bedroom or living room. We'll tell you what you can do!
False fireplace made of cardboard
To shop around for artificial fireplaces and have fun with your kids, your first test model can even be made from unwanted cardboard boxes. Large boxes of equipment are ideal - from one - a podium, from the other - the fireplace itself.
Mark the doors for the future firebox, carefully cut them and fold them inward. To connect the parts, only wide tape will be enough. Cover the fireplace with beautiful wrapping paper or leftover wallpaper and decorate it with ready-made polyurethane elements.
Photo: odstroy.ru
Photo: 1000sovetov.ru
Manufacturing
Making a screen for a heating battery with your own hands is quite simple.
You will need:
- countersink;
- drill with different drill bits;
- Circular Saw;
- metal scissors;
- hacksaw;
- scriber;
- construction stapler.
You will also need materials for the structure itself. The instructions will consider the wood option.
First of all, you need to take measurements of the radiator and add 5 cm in height and 10 cm in width to them. Using the obtained dimensions, a piece of wood is cut out of a fibreboard - this will be the front part of the screen.
2.5 cm is added to the depth of the battery. In accordance with the resulting size, two pieces of material are cut out - the sides. Their height should match the height of the front. The top element is created in the same way.
You need to make holes on the front part, for which lines are drawn. From the bottom – 11 cm, from the top – 7.5 cm. After that, a hole with a diameter of 1.2 cm is made on opposite sides of the lines. A square or rectangle is cut along the lines, depending on the overall shape of the panel.
The material is cut along the length of the entire part with a hacksaw at an angle of 45°. The resulting element can be used to decorate the corners. The trim needs to be measured so that it reaches the opposite corner. The result should be four parts. The mesh for the “window” can be made of any material, but it must be 6 cm larger than the borders of the “window” on all sides. The mesh is attached to the protective wood screen element.
During final assembly of the screen, the side and front panels must be attached to each other. Then corners for the legs are cut out of wood, which will be located on the inside of the front corners. The height of the legs is adjusted after attaching to the grille.
For more efficient heat transfer, you need to make a shielding effect from a piece of metal, attaching it to the wall on the opposite side of the radiator.
False fireplace made of brick
This is the most spectacular and most believable, but also one of the most expensive options. Although, if you have some unnecessary brick left over from a construction site, this is a great reason to put it to use. Basically, you just need to lay out a niche of the shape and size that you like.
There are no tricks here - the masonry is the same as for walls or partitions. All the same solution, neat seams, and if desired, paint on top. You can place a wooden or stone shelf on top, and fill the niche with candles. Brick is not afraid of fire and temperature, so feel free to take the real thing.
The only serious problem with brick is its impressive weight, so check the condition of the floors first. To calculate the required quantity, think about your dimensions and divide them by the size of one brick. The most important thing when laying is to constantly monitor the straightness of each row with a level.
Photo: euro-standart.su Photo: pinterest.ru Photo: pinterest.ru
Pipe decor
If you paint walls, radiators, pipes in the same color, then visually they will merge into one plane. You can use one ornament for decoration, which will allow the latter to get lost in the background. For painting, you can use special stencils (vinyl), which can obtain the desired shape.
There are a large number of finishing options: it all depends on the design style. If the interior is made in an oriental style, you can use a bamboo trunk to hide the radiator sections. You need to vertically saw the bamboo trunk, open it, and insert a pipe there. You can wrap the pipes with a beautiful rope - you get an interesting composition.
False fireplace made of wood
If you prefer eco-style and natural materials, then a false fireplace can even be made from wood. Sheets of plywood with a thickness of 8 mm or more are best suited for this - they are easy to cut and join. For the frame, use beams measuring approximately 4x4 cm, and for fastening - self-tapping screws and liquid nails.
Keep in mind that the wooden structure on a frame made of beams is quite heavy, so you will need a podium for stability. Sew the base with plywood, cover the seams with corners and putty all the joints. You can leave additional niches, shelves or other elements, and only the decor will remain.
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Photo: homemania.ru
Photo: odstroy.ru
Start of work on building a house
Work began on preparing the foundation and other working aspects. Quite quickly, a strip foundation was made to the depth of soil freezing in a particular region.
In some places the foundation lay crooked, but later a team of builders straightened everything out. One of the most important disadvantages of the site is that there is no gas there; they promise to install it in the near future, but this never happens quickly - the gas workers promise, but they definitely don’t deliver on time. Therefore, there is no special calculation for gas, but there is a possibility that he will appear soon. The heating of the house was designed for different purposes; for the first few years, the owners will live on short visits, come for winter holidays and have the opportunity to spend the night in the autumn and spring months. Subsequently, the house will go through the insulation stage and will be used for permanent residence.
The main construction and construction of walls began. According to the plan, the house should have two floors with a regular gable roof. The house was originally planned from 150 mm profiled timber; on the street side there would be a circle-shaped profile, while inside the house it would be flat.
All the joints of the logs were immediately cut into a “warm corner”; anyone who has encountered the construction of a wooden house should know that this is the most difficult option for connecting logs to execute. It cannot be made in a factory, and all cuts are made by hand at the construction site.
The photographs show the plan of the first and second floors. The size of the house is 9x7.5 meters. The house was built quickly enough that it was not always possible to photograph it at different stages of construction. In general, the construction took a month, taking into account the fact that the floorboards on the 2nd floor were slightly missed, and the builders spent an additional week working.
Note!
- Plaster fireplaces in the interior
False fireplace from old furniture
Any old cabinet or cabinet made of chipboard can be reassembled into a false fireplace, just like a cardboard box. Only it will be incomparably neater and stronger, and unlike drywall, it will also be more mobile. Old shelves are suitable for the base, an unnecessary drawer is suitable for the podium, and small doors are suitable for the side walls.
Chipboard is an unpretentious material, but you need to work with it carefully. To prevent the slabs from crumbling, cut all the lines to the end and do not screw the fasteners into the same place twice. Be sure to cover the edges with a special decorative tape - this way they will not swell or become deformed.
Photo: odstroy.ru Photo: pinterest.ru
Photo: woodshopdiaries.com
Will need
Materials:
- old cast iron radiators;
- steel strips, sheets, bolts and nuts;
- corners;
- round and shaped pipes;
- asbestos cord;
- fire retardant putty and glue;
- stove;
- gratings;
- a fragment of a thick pipe of large diameter;
- heat-resistant enamel, etc.
Tools: ruler, tape measure and marker, grinder, pliers and wire brush, welding, saw, drill, drill, etc.
False fireplace made of plasterboard
Assemble a small frame of a false fireplace from profiles, but it is better to attach a large and heavy one directly to the wall. If you still have rack profiles after construction or renovation, this is their time.
The sheets are cut into the required fragments of any shape, size and configuration - a regular construction knife is suitable for this. Be sure to take into account ends and overlaps in your calculations. All corners are closed with special corner profiles, and the top is rubbed with putty.
The surface is primed, and then you can paint and decorate it with anything you like. For example, cover it with imitation stone, and hang a mirror in a niche for volume. In the future, you can easily change the finish - this is another advantage of drywall.
Photo: oboiman.ru
Photo: sdelai-lestnicu.ru
Photo: zen.yandex.ru
Advantages and disadvantages of the model
This model has several excellent qualities. The first is, of course, the price. The set is complemented by a frame, there is a beautiful silk-screen printing on the glass of the firebox, there is a combustion chamber lining, the air supply is convenient, and with the small dimensions of the firebox, there is a high power of 22 kW, of which 16 kW is used exclusively for water. The complete set has a built-in cooling system for the fireplace jacket, as well as a cold handle.
Of the minuses, it is not clear why there is an ash pan, although it helps a little when lighting the stove. It also helps remove ash, although it does not play a role in the combustion process; the firebox itself is 100% sealed.
As a result, the choice fell on Aqudor, it is smaller in size and suitable in power. The power grid in the house is very poor, which is why a fireplace was chosen for heating; the author also did not want to see melted wires, burnt beams and other troubles in the house. If you count everything together - good open wiring with high-quality convectors, then the amount follows is quite close to water wiring. The author also turned down the idea of running gas through pipes, since the gas pipe runs very close to the village, and they promise to pipe gas in the near future. It is necessary to take into account that all heating pipes are laid under the floor, and the wiring had to be done immediately. As a result, it turns out that the house will have a complete system for a gas boiler, and all the pipes will be laid, so the process of connecting a water furnace turned out to be the most logical and cost-effective.
As for choosing the location of the system, there are also some peculiarities. The presented plan does not show the size; if you place a fireplace between three rooms, it will cover almost the entire passage and entrance to the bedroom. But the most important nuance is that the central wall of the first and second floors are offset from each other. The chimney would have a lot of angles, and it would run through the middle of the room.
False fireplace made of polyurethane
It is impossible to make a real fireplace from polyurethane, but a good decorative imitation is quite possible. This is a modern material that bends easily and takes on absolutely any shape. It is used to make ready-made portals with imitation of wood or stone carvings - you just need to glue them to the wall.
In stores you sometimes find ready-made kits for false fireplaces. Essentially, this is a kind of 3D puzzle that you just need to unpack and assemble according to the instructions. All that remains is to color it to match your interior.
Photo: pech-kamin.ru
Photo: womanadvice.ru Photo: pinterest.ru
Brief summary
The use of original ideas in the interior is very relevant today. One of them is decorating the radiator.
There are a significant number of ideas for designing batteries. In this article we looked at the most common options.
False fireplace made of foam plastic
Basically, it's a simple box that you cut and fold yourself. Take several sheets 10 cm thick, cut them into parts and glue them together, and use self-tapping screws for a more reliable fixation. By the way, packaging foam from household appliances is usually denser than finishing foam - and therefore stronger.
To cut sheets, you will need a small hacksaw for metal - this way the foam will not crumble. Take your time and cut the lines completely so as not to break anything. For connection there are special adhesive solutions for foam plastic - other glue will not work on impermeable material.
First, mark the floor for the future foundation, and begin to gradually put together the parts. Immediately check all surfaces with a level until the adhesive solution sets. Puttying smooth foam is problematic, so place a painting mesh on top. Ready-made elements are suitable for the design of the portal - columns and half-columns, stucco molding, shelves, moldings.
Photo: m.2gis.ru Photo: interior-experts.ru
Painting to match the room
Decorating the battery by painting it in the same tone as the room will complement and create an original style.
Do not forget about its main task - heat transfer, so the layers of paint should not be large.
First you need to remove excess layers of old paint from them, sand and clean them. Therefore, the old coating is first removed and then cleaned with sandpaper. Next, the surface is degreased and primed.
Then comes the paint application stage. For these purposes, special paint products are used that are resistant to temperature heating.
You need to paint them based on your personal preferences. You can listen to competent specialists in this industry, but the choice of color is your personal prerogative.
Corner false fireplace
You can make a neat corner false fireplace with your own hands from a large cardboard box - for example, from a TV or heater. You need to completely cut off one wall and fold the remaining three into a triangle. Trim the edges so that it fits perfectly into your corner in size.
Then all that remains is to cut through the portal - and you can move on to finishing and decorations. For example, cover a mini-fireplace with wallpaper that resembles brickwork, and lay a wooden corner shelf on top - and you will get a neat cabinet-tabletop.
Photo: ezidri-market.ru
Photo: ecopolis116.ru
Photo: arhitec-spb.ru
A few final tips
If you want to make the portal more natural, you can place artificial logs on the steam generator. Some models support this, while ensuring safe operating conditions. It is not recommended to use natural wood, as it can become damp from constant contact with moisture.
As an additional decor, you can install a poker or even a forged woodpile next to the fireplace. On top of the portal you can decorate with souvenirs brought from abroad, pots with fresh flowers or a small aquarium, but first make sure that the surface itself does not get very hot from the radiator.
If purchasing a steam generator does not fit into your budget, then you can use an ordinary Christmas tree garland. We roll it up into a ball and place it in the hearth, and put a few logs on top. After connecting to the outlet, you can adjust the intensity of the glow using the built-in remote control. This will also help create an imitation of smoldering coals.
How to make a fire for a false fireplace?
There is no question of any open fire in a false fireplace, and even using real candles is quite dangerous. Therefore, let’s figure out how and with what you can effectively simulate a hearth.
A bright orange-red LED strip runs along the contour of the niche from below. Place a transparent aquarium bowl with water or glass balls inside - and the fire will come to life with the refraction of light.
Photo: liveinternet.ru
There are safe bio-fireplaces on sale that can be built into home imitations. This is an advanced alcohol burner with virtually no odor, smoke or risk of fire. In enclosed spaces without chimneys, this is the only option for a live open fire.
Lamps that imitate fire or special electronic photo frames look interesting. They display an image of a flame with characteristic sounds and crackling sounds. But keep in mind that such frames are quite expensive, because they are simplified miniature plasmas.
Photo: waysi.ru
Where did the idea come from?
Inspecting the ribbed heating radiators in the form of an accordion, you wonder why heaters with a fireplace effect did not appear earlier. After all, central heating has been a key idea for a long time. The answer lies in the use of reflective thermal insulation in space since the 60s. There was simply no reason to save electricity; people were satisfied with the real state of affairs. When the pursuit of cost reduction began, we remembered to modernize the design in the right direction.
Do-it-yourself false fireplace - photo
In fact, you can make a false fireplace in any way and from anything - everything is to your taste. And to show this in practice, we have put together a large selection of photo ideas for you!
Photo: pinterest.ru
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Photo: forum.ivd.ru Photo: almode.ru Photo: vestnikao.ru Photo: kitchenremont.ru Photo: pinterest.ru
Photo: mykaleidoscope.ru Photo: gidstroitelstva.ru
Photo: gradnja.rs
Photo: fireplace.su
Photo: fotogenico.ru Photo: dekoriko.ru
Photo: rerooms.ru
Photo: davidboren.org
Photo: almode.ru
Photo: hammer-shop.ru Photo: seedecor.net
Photo: mykaleidoscope.ru
Photo: rmnt.mirtesen.ru Photo: szrtstroy.ru Photo: bezkovrov.com
Photo: nadoremont.com Photo: forum.ivd.ru Photo: stroy-podskazka.ru
Using a salt lamp
An electric salt lamp is a specific electric lamp. The lampshade is made of natural crystal – salt. An ordinary incandescent lamp is installed under such a lampshade. Passing through the crystal faces at different angles, the light flux is refracted and looks very realistically reminiscent of the play of living flames.
Using lampshades of different colors, a realistic imitation of live fire is created. And by using lamps with different configurations and sizes, a small fire can easily be imitated.
This method has its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages include the ease of creating such an illusion and its realism. In addition, when heated by an incandescent lamp, the salt lamp saturates the surrounding air with negative ions. This leads to the neutralization of positive ions, which has a positive effect on the health of its owners.
The disadvantages of this method include the very significant price of such devices and their infrequent appearance on the public market.
Crackling of dry logs
The characteristic sound of burning panels is also a necessary component of a realistic simulation of live fire. To achieve this effect, it is enough to record the crackle of a real fire into the memory of an mp3 player, adjust the sound volume to a natural level, set the recording to auto-play mode and connect the player to the overall electrical circuit of the fireplace.
In this case, when “igniting” a cold fire, artificial firewood will simultaneously begin to crackle.
