Watch the video here.
This
week we are finishing the fireplace we started last Sunday.
I
started by creating the firebox to inside the fireplace.
We
need 3 pieces of foam-core 2 cut ¾” by 2 ½” and 1 cut 2” by 2
½”
These
are glued together to form the shape needed. This time we making sure
the smaller pieces are glued to the edges of the larger one. Once we
have them placed with the glue be sure to add the short pieces of
toothpick to reinforce the bond. Allow the glue to dry.
Once
the glue dries we need to coat all the areas where we are going to
apply the bricks with a gray paint. This is the same paint I am going
to use to make he mortar (or grout) Allow the paint to dry
completely.
Now
we can glue the fireplace body we made last week to the hearth. Be
sure to measure carefully to make sure you have the fireplace
centered on the hearth side to side and lined up carefully in the
back. Once you are happy with your placement use some glue and more
toothpicks to secure the two pieces together. This glue will need to
be all the way dry before we begin to add the bricks to the hearth.
While
the glue on the hearth dries we can start putting the bricks in the
firebox. The bricks are cut from a paper egg carton and measure ¼”
by ½” I know this is slightly small for scale but it is an easy
measurement to cut and looks in scale once placed.
Start on the back
wall o f the firebox at the bottom. Line the row up at the bottom
edge and cut the last brick to fit. Be sure to leave a tiny gap
between the bricks to allow a place for the mortar/grout to go later.
Once you are happy with the placement of this row allow the glue to
dry. If you try to add more rows before the glue on the first one
dries you run a bigger risk of shifting the placement. This first row
is what all the rest of the rows are going to line up against.
Now
it is just a matter of working our way up the back of the firebox
with the bricks. Being sure to offset them so that the places where
one row of bricks meet lines up with about the center of the bricks
in the next row.
Once
the back wall of the firebox is bricked we move on to the sides. For
those alternate cut bricks with whole bricks to maintain a brick
pattern. Do both sides and allow to dry.
Next
I opted to paint the bricks on the firebox, since I had to mix my
paint color I wanted to be sure I was happy with it before I
committed to using it on the hearth. Also this way the firebox would
be ready and I could just work on the hearth next. I wanted to paint
my bricks with a “brick” red color but didn’t have any so I
mixed some colors to get a color I was happy with. I did put it in a
container with a lid so it would stay usable while I was working in
the entire project. I am doubtful I could ever mix the exact color
again to match it. Don’t be too heavy handed with the paint on the
bricks.
You don’t want it to fill the gaps we left between the
bricks. Also it is okay to just paint the tops of the bricks and they
don’t even need to be coated evenly since I am going for a used
brick look all those imperfections will add to the look.
Now
onto the hearth. Since the bricks on the ends of each row will need
look like whole bricks not just pieces of egg carton I cut some more
pieces of egg carton to use in those places. I cut a strip 1/8”
wide and cut some ½” pieces (these will be the sides of the front
row of bricks) some pieces that wee ¼” by 5/8” wide and scored
1/8” from one end and folded at that mark (these will be the full
bricks at the end of the rows) and some that were ¼” by 3/8” and
scored at 1/6” again (to the be the full half bricks at the
opposite ends of the rows)
I
drew a placement line that was in line with the front of the
fireplace and lined up my first row of bricks there.
I started with a
full brick with the folded bit on one end and ended with one of the
smaller folded brick pieces. Filling in with the regular bricks I’ve
been using all along. Allow the glue on this row to dry pretty well
before you try to add more rows so you don’t accidentally move the
bricks you just placed.
Now
we can add the bricks along the area at the sides of the fireplace.
There is really only room for 1 brick per row so that’s pretty
easy. Use the ones that we made that were folded at the end
alternating the long and short ones to maintain the brick pattern.
Use small pieces of brick to fill areas as needed.
Now
we can add the rest of the bricks to the top of the outside area of
the hearth. You should have room for two more rows with the row at
the very front hanging over the edge along the front. That is what
you want. Allow the glue to dry.
Now
we can add the “sides” of the row of bricks at the edge of the
front of the hearth. I know I was out of camera on this part of the
video, sorry about that. But all we need to do is add glue and one by
one fit in the 1/8” wide brick pieces we cut to match the ones on
the top row. You might need to cut them to fit because in order to
make sense and look like they are part of the same brick they need to
match in size. Finish out the row with the narrow pieces cutting as
needed to create the brick sides.
Next
add the bottom row of bricks at the front edge of the hearth and
around the ends using a couple of brick pieces that have been cut 14”
by ¾” and scored and folded at ¼” from one end. This will give
you the end of the brick wrapped around the corners.
Allow
the glue to dry.
Now
we can add the bricks to the interior floor of the fireplace. This is
a bit of a challenge because the work area is pretty small but it is
doable. You don’t need to have entire floor of the firebox area
covered. Have the firebox handy and check as you work that you have
bricks where they will show. You don’t need to put them where they
will be completely covered.
Allow
the glue to dry.
Now
really look at the bricks and trim off any places where you have
bricks that are hanging over the edges too much. Also add some tape
to the bottom of the painted areas of the fireplace to protect it
from getting paint and other stuff on it.
Now
using the same paint we used for the other bricks earlier paint the
bricks on the hearth the same way. Allow the paint to dry.
Since
I am going for the look of used brick I next got out just a tiny drop
of each of the paint colors I have already used in the project: the
white (from the fireplace body), the gray (that I painted the areas
to be bricked with), and the colors I used to mix my brick color- the
red, orange, and brown.
Then I used really small paint brushes to add
just a bit to the faces of some scattered bricks. Just one or two of
each color and none very close to each other. Just add the colors
until it looks how you want it to look. Now allow this paint to dry.
Now
to protect the painting I have done I added a thin coat of Matt Mod
Podge. This will add a layer of protection from the next step when we
add the mortar/groat. I missed a couple of spots and off camera had
to touch up some of the paint on a couple of bricks at the end of the
project. So be sure to not skip this step and be careful to not miss
any of the bricks.
Now
for one of the most fun steps because this is where the bricks start
to really look like bricks and not just egg carton chunks glued down.
Mix some of the gray paint with some white sand to give a slightly
thick textured paint. This time I found it easiest to use my finger
tip to work the mixture into the surface and down between the bricks
to fill the gaps.
Then immediately wipe away any excess with a damp
paper towel. Work in small areas. Once you have finished cover up the
remaining paint/sand mixture to use in the next step.
Now
we can use some glue to attach the firebox to the inside of the
fireplace body. Use a bit more glue than you think you need. Then
fill the area where the firebox meets the hearth with a bit more of
the paint/sand mixture. Allow this to dry completely.
Once
the glue has dried it is time to add some “soot” to the inside of
the fireplace. Depending on how old you want your fireplace to be add
more or less black paint. Anywhere from none to mostly covered will
help to tell the story of the age of your fireplace.
Now
let’s talk about finishing our work to make it look more
professional. I used some medium weight white card-stock cut to fit
the back of the hearth and the back opening of the fireplace and
glued them in place. This will hide the unfinished areas and just
make the fireplace look a bit better. You could also cut a narrow
piece of the card-stock to cover the back edge of the mantle if you
wanted. Poster board would also work for this area.
I
also added a quick coat of black paint to the bottom of the hearth to
make it look a bit more finished. Then using an white paint pen I
added my initials. I always try to do this step to sign my work even
if I don’t show it on camera. Whenever I make any thing I am
reminded of one of my high school art teachers that insisted we
always sign our work. He went so far as not giving us a grade if we
forgot. According to him if it was worth keeping you signed it. No
matter what. So I want to see all of you signing your work whenever
possible.
As
always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos
and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are
supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit
more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving
comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could
pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.
