How to Build a DIY Brick Fireplace Hearth with a Shiplap Accent Wall & Rustic Wood Beam Mantle
A brick fireplace hearth has always been on the top of my wish list for our home. There is something about the hand built nature of a large brick fireplace hearth that holds that old time farmhouse charm that you just don’t see in today’s small, builder-grade, simple gas fireplace mantles. We have tried everything to update our builder-grade fireplace, from simply painting it white to adding a larger wood mantle and even adding a shiplap accent wall. While those updates definitely improved the look of our small and unimpressive fireplace, it just didn’t fulfill our dream of a beautiful and grand brick fireplace hearth. So we finally decided to completely tear out the existing fireplace mantle, start from scratch, and build our own completely custom dream fireplace! Take a look at this 3-part tutorial on how to build a DIY brick fireplace hearth, how to create a DIY shiplap accent wall above the fireplace, and how to install a large, rustic stained wood beam mantle.
Before & After Photos
The first photo shows our home when we first bought it, the next is after we painted the trim in our house white when we updated our whole home interior, the third photo shows this fireplace after we added DIY shiplap and a new wood mantle, and the last photo is the fireplace after finishing the DIY brick hearth and adding new shiplap and a larger wood mantle.
DIY Brick Fireplace Hearth with Shiplap and a Rustic Wood Mantle Tutorial
Part 1 | DIY Brick Fireplace Hearth
Tools, Materials & Measurements
Tools
- Circular saw
- Hammer
- Mallet
- Plastic mixing tub
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
- Trowel
- Level
Materials
- Mortar mix
- 190 – 2.5″ thick red clay bricks
- 2″ metal support bar (the width of your fireplace insert opening)
Measurements
- Brick fireplace surround – 76.5″ wide x 4″ deep x 50″ tall (floor to bottom of wood mantle)
- Brick fireplace hearth – 76.5″ wide x 5.5″ tall x 21″ deep
- Floor to ceiling – 9′
Step 1 – Moving the gas fireplace insert
To begin this DIY, we removed the black tile and existing white fireplace surround from the wall and cut open the drywall in order to raise the fireplace insert. Once the wall was open, we rebuilt the fireplace insert framing 6″ higher to provide the clearance to build the hearth up a total of two bricks plus mortar (about 5.5″). The gas must be disconnected to move the insert and reconnected it when finished. After reinstalling the fireplace insert we covered the framing with new drywall.
Next, we raised the fireplace vent on the exterior of the house. We had to cut a hole in our exterior siding to move the opening for the vent higher to match the raised fireplace insert. The vent had to be replaced because removing it destroys the vents structure. Finally, we replaced the siding on the house to cover the hole where the old vent was.
Step 2 – Cut half size bricks
You will need half size bricks throughout the fireplace project to create a staggered traditional brick pattern. To cut the half size bricks, use a circular saw with a concrete blade to create a break line across the top center of the brick. Snap the brick in half by tapping one side of the brick gently with a hammer.
You may lose some bricks in the process, but with a little practice we made several brick halves with no problem!
Step 3 – Measure and stencil horizontal guide lines on the wall
To make laying the brick easier, we stenciled horizontal lines across the wall at the height each brick would need to be to remain level and straight from edge to edge. The bricks are 2.5″ tall, and the lines are marked 3″ apart each. This helped guide us to make a 1/2″ thick layer of mortar as we laid the bricks. After each layer our bricks lined up from edge to edge with the next line, so we knew we had installed the bricks correctly. The first image below shows the guide lines, and the other images show the progress of the bricks in line with the guide lines.
Step 4 – Mix the mortar
Before you begin laying bricks you will need to mix your mortar. Mortar is messy and needs to be kept at the right consistency throughout the process.
We used SAKRETE 80 lb. Gray Type S Mortar Mix – a preblended mixture of sand and masonry cement or sand, lime and portland cement, found at Home Depot. Follow the manufacturer instructions for mixing mortar. Be sure you are working in a room with a temperature of between 50-100 degrees F when mixing and applying mortar.
Wet your mixing tub before mixing the mortar and water. Add about half the water necessary for the batch you’re making into the mixing tub, then add the mortar mix. Mix vigorously for about 5 minutes using your trowel. The consistency should be thick yet shape-able, similar to a very thick and wet sand you could build a sand castle from.
Test the consistency of the mortar with a technique called snapping the trowel, where you snap the trowel downward gently to remove excess mortar from the trowel. You will know you have the right consistency when the wet mortar hangs on a trowel held at a 90 degree angle without sliding off until you snap it.
Getting the right consistency took some trial and error for us. Practice until you get it right – having mortar with the right consistency is essential to laying the bricks properly. And if the mixture gets dry as your using it, use a spray bottle to wet it.
Step 5 – Lay brick the fireplace surround (the wall)
Bricking the wall is definitely a tedious process that requires patience, and practice. I recommend practicing the process of using the mortar and laying the bricks before beginning your fireplace hearth.
To lay the bricks, take a heap of mortar with your trowel and dump it where the next brick will be set. For your first layer of bricks you will add the mortar to the floor.
Using the trowel, make an indent along the center of your mortar piles to make the mortar spread towards the outer edges of the brick.
Add mortar to one edge of your first brick and place it in the row firmly. Tap it gently with a mallet if you need to move it tighter in place. Each brick thereafter will be placed the same way. Be sure the bricks are square with one another with an even and level amount of mortar under them and between them, using your horizontal stencil as a guide.
The mortar will naturally spread out and touch the wall, but we also added mortar to the back of the bricks along the edges if there were obvious gaps. This way the brick would seem flush with the wall with no gap or space between.
Step 6 – Brick over the fireplace insert opening
To brick over the fireplace insert, place a metal 2″ wide support bar across the top of the fireplace insert opening (approx 35″) and use a level to make sure its perfectly level, then place supports under the metal to hold it in place. We used leftover copper pipe but you can just cut wood to the correct height.
Follow the same steps as above to lay the mortar and brick across the fireplace insert opening. Be sure the first layer over the metal support is mortar so that when it hardens it supports the bricks above it.
Continue to lay bricks until you reach your top guide line, just below where your new wood beam mantle will be installed.
Once the mortar is completely set you can remove the metal support.
Step 7 – Lay the brick hearth (the floor)
Following all the same steps as above, lay bricks in front of the fireplace to create your hearth. We decided to do 4 bricks deep and 2 bricks in height to create out hearth. It is especially important that you pay close attention to laying these bricks as level as possible to create a level and flat fireplace hearth surface you can use later.
Allow the mortar to cure for 48-72 hours, in a temperature of 50-100 degrees F.
Step 7 – Fill in holes and gaps with mortar
As imperfect DIYer’s there were plenty of areas in our DIY brick hearth that did not have enough mortar and instead had large openings where the mortar should have been filled. Rather than mix up more mortar, the easy fix is to use a tube of mortar repair and squeeze it directly into the areas that need filling or fixing. Smash as much as you can in holes, gaps, and craters and then scrape away the excess.
The mortar repair is very easy to apply and matches the mortar perfectly when cured.
Head to Part 2 for the DIY Rustic Wood Beam Mantle Tutorial!
26 Comments
Laird Cross
Hi Bree! The project looks great! I like to see homeowners taking the initiative to do these things themselves. I’d like to add a little bit of constructive criticism if that’s ok. The metal support that you are using is called a brick lintel. It’s critical in maintaining structural support for all of the bricks above it. It should run into the mortar joint in either side at least 6 “, allowing the lower brick to support the upper. This cannot be removed however! It needs to stay in place permanently! I see that you are using type S mortar. Type S is structural but for download purposes only. Ie. in between brick or block that are holding up a raised home. It CANNOT however maintain a load without a structural material underneath. Brick lintels are meant to stay in place forever. While it might be ok right now, it’s going to crack and start coming apart at some point. Really, for a fireplace surround, type N mortar is easier to work with and is all that needed as there is no live load ever put on it. The only dead load is the brick above and that is of no consequence. Please, do yourself a favor and replace the lintel. Unfortunately you will have to remove the row of brick right above the fireplace opening and the one above that. Attach your brick lentil and then replace those two rows of brick. If you need to notch the back of the brick out to compensate for the lentil you can. I’m taking for granted that you used a piece of steel 90. If you used a piece of flat steel, you need to switch to a piece of steel 90. 2″ x 2″ is sufficient but I like to use 2″ x 4” with the 4 inch leg attached to the studs above. Please don’t take this as criticism. The job looks great. However, I do this for a living and I have seen many manyFireplace surrounds fail for this exact reason. Sometimes it takes a year sometimes it takes five years, but it always happens. Best regards and good luck
kelsey
It is beautiful!! Do you mind sharing what the height of the mantle is to the floor?!
Bree
Thanks! 50″ from the floor to the base of the mantle beam.
Laird Cross
Hi guys I have one more comment to make. For all of the DIY community. I think Bree has a gas fireplace. Please please please whatever you do, find out exactly what fireplace you have, download the specs on that fireplace, and follow the clearance instructions in the manual. Most gas and wood-burning fireplaces require, Not recommend, 12 inches of clearance from the fireplace opening to the side wall, 20 inches for the hearth extending out from the fireplace opening with an additional 28 inches of some type of non-combustible material for a total of 48 inches of non-combustible material past the edge of your fireplace. I saw a question in here asking how high the mantle wise on this particular fireplace. Every fireplace is different and you must follow the manufacturers requirements. We just got it a home that burned down last November because the fireplace surround was not sufficient and burning embers ignited the wood floors. Again, every fireplace is different but please do your homework before you attempt to do a fireplace makeover.
Christa
I love seeing DIY before and afters. This project turned out beautifully!
Angela Cardamone
Wow, this is so beautiful! I love how you laid out all of the steps needed to do it so it is actually possible to follow!!
Stephanie
What a transformation! It definitely infused the modern look with the homey and cozy ambiance thanks to the fireplace Your house is beautiful!
Monica Pell
The fireplace looks so good. 🙂 I am dreaming of this DIY, time to convince the hubby HA 😉
Emma
Wow this looks so good! Such helpful step by step pictures too!
Hailey
It’s lovely to see this transformation from start to finish. I would love to have a shiplap accent wall like that – but wow is that brick incredible! SO much charm!
Molly
Your fireplace looks absolutely amazing!!!!!
Nina Smith
I have been wanting to make out little fireplace look more grand, and scouring Pinterest until I saw this – SHOW STOPPER! I realllly like how big and bold the bricks look compared to the “before” photo.
Kathy
Definitely need mad skills to do that. If I did something like this, it would be a total nightmare for me – but your tutorial is so detailed that I am sure someone handy can do this!
Beth
Wow. I am pretty sure that I need to do my fireplace now. WOW.
Vanessa
This looks fantastic. I love that you emphasize that its not perfect, its a DIY! It gives me the courage to try knowing its OK to DIY imperfectly (though to me this IS perfect).
Whitney Strong
This project looks intense. Like wow I love to DIY but not sure I could take this one on. It turned out beautifully in your home.. 🙂
Katie H.
It looks like something that had been there the entire time… Love the details you’ve added to it especially the cute accent decor, beautiful..
Charmaigne
omg!!! This fireplace is GORGEOUS!!! I can’t believe this can be done as diy, I love it!!!
Rachel
I love this. I want a fireplace but I only have a tiny flat. One day…..
Joline
Whoa what a major project! Looks awesome. Our fireplace is more like the second photo. My brother-in-law has been wanting to update his though. This is the perfect project for him this summer.
Stephanie
It’s amazing what a coat of paint can do. Then you went and transformed the entire thing! It looks like it was a big project, but the outcome looks awesome!
Kacie
This is so detailed, I want to do this DIY to our home. I just am not sure yet if I have the skill.
Elizabeth Uchealor
Great job you did here, thank you for sharing with us. I love fireplaces, they really add beauty to a home. Apart from the heat that is.
Would have loved to know how much it cost you to create it.
Bree
Thank you! Overall the cost was just about $400.
Randi
Did you do this DIY because of cost, or ? I am wondering if I could hire this out, or if its crazy expensive. thx…
Bree
We were quoted between $1100-1500 to have the brick installed for us, so we went for the DIY and only spent around $400 for everything including the shiplap and paint. Hope that helps!