How to build a faux chimney breast

If you have a plain wall then a faux chimney breast will add that necessary bit of decoration. Here's a step-by-step guide to creating one.

Level of difficulty

Level 3: Advanced

What you need

• Dust sheet
• Saw
• Bolster
• Hammer
• Screws
• Screw driver
• Nail
• Spirit level
• Power drill
• Wood shims
• Timber boards
• Cement board
• Chimney breast

The steps to follow

1. Cover your work area with a dust sheet.
2. Chip away the plaster on the wall to expose the metal lugs on both sides of the original chimney breast.
3.  Remove all fixings that are holding the existing chimney breast in place and discard them.
4. Start building a new hearth. To provide enough heat to the room, it is recommended to extend the hearth out at 500 mm from the face of the chimney.
5. First make a formwork with timber boards and cement boards. The base of your cement board will depend on the size you plan for your hearth. Nail all four sides of the cement board with the timber boards.
6. Make a concrete mixture from one part cement, two parts sand and three parts aggregate.
7. Pour this concrete mixture into the formwork.
8. Let it set for a day.
9. Remove the hearth from the formwork.
10. Secure it to the area with mortar. Make sure that it is level.
11. Place the new chimney breast on the existing location. You can purchase a chimney breast from your local DIY store.
12. Apply cement on the edges of the chimney breast to secure it in place.
13. With a spirit level, check that it is correctly positioned and straight.
14. Use wooden shims to adjust the chimney breast. Check again with the spirit level to see if it is straight.
15. Fix the chimney breast to the wall with screws.
16. Plaster the wall after you’ve installed your chimney breast.

Related articles

• How to plaster a wall
• How to fit a fire surround

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