VICTORIAN Faux Fireplace Upgrade

I decided to do another last minute frantic not-only-holiday decor project – My Quick & Easy but impressive VICTORIAN Faux Fireplace Upgrade just 10 days before Christmas. And this time it really turned out awesome!

I love my faux fireplace I made 3 years ago already. But this year, I thought I’ll give it a little upgrade. Why not? It is STILL whole 10 days till Christmas, right?

I love vintage, I love Victorian and I’m slowly inching my decor and style that way. And I got really inspired by the old Victorian black iron fireplaces. I would so love one like that… But because there is not much chance of me having a real one, I just have to make an impression of one to feel good. Please join me in making!

New Accessories

Stove Fronts

About six months ago, I stumbled upon three antique iron stove fronts through my bazaar searches. They are very rare here, so it was a huge gamble on my side to wait for any discount. But it paid off, and I snatched the two remaining ones around 15 December this year.

One of them is stamped with 1828, and the other says gesetzlich geschutzt England, which I don’t know if it’s English or German… but I envisioned this small one as a decoration for my faux fireplace, and it fits perfectly!

They arrived literally in original shape, with a thick layer of dust, rust, soot, and cobwebs. I lightly brushed them off with a soft bras brush and dust brush to get off any loose dirt. But I think I will leave them natural.

New Stockings and LED Candles

Seeing the cream-coloured knitted stockings all over the internet this year, I got enchanted, but I couldn’t find any for sale around here, and I didn’t have time to learn to knit them myself! What a pity! And then I was visiting my sister in a big city, and while browsing a mall, I found a pair of exactly the ones I wanted! What a fate! Of course, they were mine.

And a set of faux LED candles, great!… hmm? OK, not quite… It is still missing something…

VICTORIAN Faux Fireplace Remake

That’s when I decided to do a swift faux fireplace makeover. Something quick and easy…that ruled out plywood and sololite (= Masonite) because I would have to go shopping and then freeze my ass off in the workshop. So, I stuck to my favorite cardboard!  Only one big piece survived my Christmas cleaning, but it was exactly what I needed.

Cutting the Base Shape Twice

I measured my existing fireplace opening and sketched my design first. Then, I had the basic shape drawn and cut out in no time with a utility knife. I’m in love with Victorian so I decided to do the horseshoe fireplace. To get the arch right, I marked the horizontal center,  subtracted the width of the sides from the total width, and divided it by two to get the arch radius.

Then, I decided how far from the top I wanted the arch to start and dropped down the center mark accordingly. Then, I only needed a pointy tool, a pencil, and a string to draw a smooth curve. Of course, if you don’t want to damage your floor, use a cutting mat underneath.

It is good to have the cardboard corrugation run vertically in this case so the mantel has more structural strength standing up. Of course, the best thing is to sandwich one layer of horizontal between two vertical layers, but I didn’t have that much cardboard at hand. So, I cut two identical shapes and glued them together for strength. 

Gluing the Faux Fireplace Front

Trying to reduce dampness and warping, I decided to mainly use heavy-duty double-sided tape and a little bit of Mod Podge type of glue in between.

I would encourage you to reinforce the back side of your mantel with some heavy cardboard stripes if you have any to prevent warping. I also wrapped the side edges with paper tape to clean up the look.

Let’s see the dry fit? Awesome! Now, let’s have some real fun!

Decorating the Victorian Faux Fireplace

I picked this IOD mold called Trimmings 3 as it has a wide selection of beautiful borders from big chunky to thinner ones. I am using the Do and Dry white clay just because I have some open. I started casting the biggest border first to trim the fireplace opening. I try to push the clay well into all the details and smooth out the surface with a spatula. Then, I turn the mold upside down and carefully remove the cast. Wow, it’s going to look great!

Then, of course, I ran out of my white clay and found out the other one I got was accidentally grey with possibly different properties, so I had to get out anyway to buy some more of the white one. This brand is very inconsistent, though. One time doesn’t stick together at all and splits everywhere, and another time, it is great for casting. And this new batch is like a supper sticky mud, so I have to use starch in my mold.

I trimmed the whole fireplace in a thinner border, and then decided to use the Salon Des Glaces Prima Redesign mold for the centerpiece. 

As the new clay was so gooey and the design so delicate, it was going to be a great challenge to glue the centerpiece down. So, I glued all the trims to the cardboard with my Mod Podge-type glue first. Paying attention to symmetry and applying the glue evenly everywhere.

For the centerpiece, I marked the center of the fireplace, placed the ornament on a piece of cardboard, and applied the glue only in its center. Then I flipped it over on the center mark, hoping to hit it straight, because once it touches, it is impossible to slide. Then, I gradually glued both sides of the ornament down, paying attention to symmetry. I added the two smaller casts from the same mold to the sides of the center ornament to make it bigger. As you see, I got my ornament a little higher than intended. So, I will use the calligraphy rule. Just fill up the empty space to balance it.

So, I’m making another thinner trim around the main portal trim. I am using little cardboard spacers to keep the equal distance. Better. But now the top corners seem empty. I think using parts of the same ornament mold would take away from the centerpiece. So I just added more of the trim.

I could use some other mold, but I think it is good practice to learn to make use of what you have.

Finishing the raw Edges

The raw cardboard edge of the opening needed to be finished. And I thought a little bit of glue and the pasty grey clay would do the job just fine. I applied the glue as well as I could in the cardboard grooves and then pushed the clay in piece by piece, smoothing it with a spatula at the end.

If you opt for a square shape you can just use the paper tape around all your straight edges.

Painting the VICTORIAN Faux Fireplace

Sometimes, I feel like running with tied shoelaces doing my projects. I always get slowed down by having to solve some unexpected issues. 

Well, I wanted to paint my fireplace mantel in black. But my chalk paint can was empty, and the black spray I got is definitely a bad choice for indoor use, and it’s freezing outside. But I was not going to give up so easily, and after going through all my options and supplies, I discovered a black gesso!! It is water-based, it sticks well, and it is a nice shade of black. After a short test painting, I decided it was perfect!

I started with the outer trims, filling the inside areas systematically while painting the inner trims. It was my attempt to lessen the possible streaks. With occasional spot repair, the paint job came out surprisingly even and silky looking.

Highlighting the Ornaments

To bring out the ornament details, I’m trying dry brushing with white chalk paint.

The final effect, even though it seemed good while I was painting, was way too subtle. So, in the end, I decided to highlight the ornaments with silver rub’n buff instead, and suddenly, it all came out beautiful.

With the new stockings, candles and stove front it looks wonderful. Exactly as I pictured it would.

My new faux Victorian fireplace, beside the Christmas tree. What do you think? Was my Victorian faux fireplace makeover worth it? I do. Definitely beats the packed bookcase :). 

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Don’t forget to watch the whole VICTORIAN Faux Fireplace upgrade on my CraftyHanded YouTube channel! …Or if you like what I do and would like to support me, please become my Patron.

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