Tips for Budget-Friendly Fireplace Makeovers

Have you grown bored with the architecture of your fireplace, or has it become seriously outdated? You don’t have to break the bank or have special skills to start enjoying a new setting for cozy fires in winter. Fireplace makeovers can be remarkably simple and inexpensive, and just a few of many examples follow.

Redo the Fireplace Mantel

Few would imagine a fireplace without picturing a mantel. What many don’t know is that there is more to a mantel than the shelf above the fireplace opening. There is the overmantel, whether a wrap-around or buildout. The fireplace mantel includes the all-familiar shelf but also legs or pillars and a header.

If it’s in your budget, chimney experts can replace your fireplace mantel in a wide range of possible styles, including faux rock. An easy do-it-yourself method is to use peel-and-stick tiles to transform the look of your mantel. Whatever you use, however, should be safe when placed close enough to the fireplace opening to be exposed to the heat.

Redecorate the Fireplace

The simplest way to change the look of your fireplace is to switch out the décor on the shelf and in front of the hearth. Even with the specific style of your home and your personal tastes in mind, there are probably countless possibilities for mantel and hearth décor. A few ideas follow:

• Place a framed photo or painting on the shelf along with several books wrapped in coordinating colors against the art on one side and a bookend on the other. Add a flower vase, plant, and/or candles on the other side of the frame.
• Focus on contrasting shapes to create a stunning mantel. A circular mirror, statuesque rings, and round-shaped novelties offset by tall vases and flower arrangements that stretch past the top of the mirror make for a balanced look with pleasing aesthetics.
• Add a busy wallpaper pattern from the over-mantel up to the ceiling down to the floor in the area outside the mantel legs. Add somewhat monotone framed artwork to the mantel shelf and bookend it with vases that add additional dimension to the patterned effect.
• In a living space with white and other neutral colors, punch up the fireplace with a surround built using iridescent glass tiles in a funky or cool modern shade.

Paint Your Fireplace

Old brick can be an eyesore and spoil the effects of your fireplace. Painting over the brick is the best way to create and entirely new, updated look; and it’s a great do-it-yourself project.

Go 3-Dimensional

For an artistic treatment, skip all the usual mantelpieces and install three-dimensional panels all around and above the hearth, from floor to ceiling. The effect could be striking, no matter the style you choose.

Contact Chimney Specialists

Our professional chimney technicians at Chimney Specialists, Inc., are qualified to provide the best chimney services, including fireplace remodeling. Call us today—contact information is below.

Chimney Specialists Inc.

869 Main Street, Highland, WI

Phone – (608) 929-4887 / Toll Free (800) 395-6660

Dubuque Fireplace & Patio

925 Century Drive, Dubuque, Iowa

Phone – (563) 582-5156