In recent years, the symbol of the family hearth - the fireplace - is again at the peak of popularity. It's so nice to sit at his place in the evening and watch the dancing flames. The fireplace creates a cozy and comfortable atmosphere in the room. No wonder it is called the soul of the living room.
Residents of apartment buildings, unfortunately, for a number of reasons, a real fireplace is not available, but this does not mean at all that you should give up the dream of decorating your home with this spectacular interior element. In this article, we will tell you how to make a drywall corner fireplace. A master class from experienced professionals will help you figure out all the intricacies of creating such a design.
Fireplace in the interior of the apartment
To begin with, we suggest that you consider what properties such a design has, and what types such devices can be divided into. All fireplaces can be classified according to the type of fuel used.
- Gas. Does not emit during combustionsoot, the room warms up quickly. But for the construction of such a structure, permission is needed, moreover, it is not easy to connect it.
- Electrical devices are the most sought after. No special permission is required to install them. They can be easily purchased at construction supermarkets.
- Biofireplaces are original and environmentally friendly devices that fit into any interior. Their disadvantages include only a rather high cost of fuel.
- And, of course, the classic wood-fired version that cannot be installed in an apartment building.
Gypsum board corner fireplace
Gypsum board is considered to be the most demanded and popular finishing material in the modern construction market, from which almost any structure can be made. Ceilings, partitions, decorative elements are made from it. Any person who has an idea of how to use a construction tool can make a corner raised fireplace out of drywall with his own hands. Of course, such a design does not compete with a real fireplace that warms the house by burning firewood, but it can be a wonderful decoration for a modern apartment. In addition, if you install an electric fire imitation heater in it, the fireplace will turn out just like a real one.
Production technology
To make a corner fireplace from drywall with your own hands, all work must be divided into several stages. They begin with the preparation of the project. On thisstage, you need to decide on some important factors:
- location of the future design;
- dimensions of a drywall corner fireplace;
- construction and design of the portal.
Let's start by choosing a location. The fireplace is usually installed in the living room. In a spacious room, it can be placed in the center of one of the walls. If the hall is small (which is more often the case in modern apartments), it is more expedient to make a decorative corner fireplace from drywall with your own hands.
As a rule, designers combine a fireplace with a TV area. In other words, these items are placed side by side, for example, the panel can be installed above the fireplace. It is not necessary to strictly adhere to this rule. If desired, you can place the fireplace and TV on opposite walls.
A do-it-yourself corner fireplace made of plasterboard, the photo of which you can see in the article, can become not only a decorative, but also a functional element if an electric heater is built into it. Or you can equip it with drawers or shelves for storing various little things.
Design dimensions
When the place is chosen, you should decide on the dimensions of the drywall corner fireplace and make a drawing of the future design. It is not necessary to make a decorative fireplace according to the size of the present. You can use the drawing that we offer in this article or make changes to it according to the dimensions of your room. For example, if you plan to mount an electric fireplace in the portal, then most likely the dimensions of the niche will have toadjust to suit the device. It is important that the fireplace is beautiful and in harmony with the interior.
Materials
To create a drywall corner fireplace, you will need the following materials:
- drywall;
- PNP profiles;
- dowel-nails and self-tapping screws for frame assembly;
- primer;
- starting putty;
- decoration materials (wallpaper, clinker tiles, decorative stone, polyurethane moldings, etc.).
It should be noted that for the fireplace portal, which provides for the installation of an electrical device, only fire-resistant, heat-resistant drywall, for example, Knauf-Fireboard, should be used. You will have to calculate the amount of materials yourself: it depends on the size of your structure.
Assembling the frame
You can start assembling the frame for the drywall corner fireplace, which will become the basis of the structure. Step-by-step instructions for its installation can be represented by the following steps:
- Mark the floor and wall according to the project. These are the outlines of your future design.
- Mark the contours of the combustion chamber on the wall. When doing this work, make sure that all lines are strictly vertical and horizontal. The lines should intersect at 90° on the floor, unless your design calls for other angles. This markup will take some time, but it will greatly simplify the work in the future, so do not ignore it.
- According to markupusing dowel-nails on the wall, it is necessary to attach the PNP profiles. In this way you will assemble the base of the back wall, which consists of two uprights (vertical) and two crossbars connecting them. Note that the distance from the bottom crossbar to the floor will eventually become the height of the parapet.
- Fix profiles on the wall that follow the contour of the combustion chamber. Install the profile on the floor along the contour of the parapet. Then we install the front racks. The depth of the fireplace determines the distance from them to the rear pillars. To connect the front and rear elements, horizontal crossbars are used. Do not forget about the connection between the crossbars of the front pillars. They should be at the same level as the back wall rails.
- Next, you should install the parapet racks and tie them with crossbars from above. Please note: they should be located at the same level with the lower rungs of the portal.
- Install the racks of the combustion chamber in front of the frame, which we connect with the main supports with the help of several crossbars.
- At the final stage of installation of the drywall corner fireplace structure, it is necessary to make the vaults of the combustion chamber.
- To bend the profiles with an arch, it is necessary to make cuts in their sides in increments of about two centimeters.
So, the assembly of the frame is completed. If it seems to you that it turned out to be not as strong and rigid as you planned, install additional stiffeners. And one more tip from experts: during installationdo-it-yourself corner fireplace made of drywall, use plumb lines and a building level. It is worth noting that instead of a profile, you can use a wooden beam to build a frame. The stages of work in this case will not differ.
Frame trim
Before you start lining the fireplace, you need to cut drywall strictly in accordance with your project. To cut a sheet of material along a straight line, you must perform the following work:
- press the rule or long ruler against the cutting line of the sheet;
- Using a sharp utility knife, cut the material along the ruler;
- break the sheet with your hands and fold it;
- cut drywall along the fold line from the back of the sheet.
To obtain more complex details, for example, the arch of the combustion chamber, it is necessary to mark the material. You can use graph paper for this purpose, and then use a jigsaw. When all the details are cut out, all that remains is to fix them to the frame using ordinary drywall screws with an interval of 10-15 cm.
If you are making a portal for an electric fireplace, install it inside the combustion chamber to make sure that no mistake was made during installation.
Installation of drywall
At the joints of sheets that are located in the same plane, a small chamfer with a width of no more than 5 mm should be removed. Be sure to stick a sickle mesh on the joints, which contributes to their reinforcement. With a paint brushit is necessary to cover the structure with a primer in two layers. Please note that the second coat should be applied after the first has completely dried.
Then, the joints of the sheets and the heads of the self-tapping screws are processed with a starting putty. After that, it is necessary to putty the entire portal. After the putty has hardened, the surface is treated with a jointer using a P80-P120 mesh. This will eliminate minor flaws.
When finishing work, remove dust from the surface of the structure and treat it with primer again.
Decoration
This is perhaps one of the most interesting steps in creating a corner fireplace made of drywall with your own hands, since it is he who gives you the opportunity to show your imagination, and the huge selection of finishing materials on the construction market today ensures that it will not limited.
The simplest and most affordable finishing option is wallpaper that imitates brick or stone. The design of drywall corner fireplaces looks especially impressive if clinker tiles are used for cladding. This material is resistant to high temperatures, so it can be safely used in the variant with an electric fireplace. Clinker tiles look like brick, and its color scheme is diverse, which allows it to be used in the implementation of a variety of design solutions.
Another classic finishing option looks no less attractive - facing the surface of the portal with a decorative stone. Like clinker tiles, stonemounted on regular tile adhesive.
White fireplace
In the interior of the apartment, decorated in a classic style, a false fireplace, painted white and complemented by stucco, will look great. Experts recommend paying special attention to the countertop, on which the overall perception of the portal largely depends. Often it is performed under marble or precious wood. You can order it separately in any company that manufactures furniture. If you are planning to make your fireplace as authentic as possible, order a beautiful wrought iron grate for it. Thus, the work will be completed, and you will be able to enjoy not only a stylish element of the interior, but also use it for its intended purpose (if you have an electric fireplace).
Conclusion
Having studied the recommendations and instructions of experts, everyone will be able to decorate their home with such an original design. It is very important that its creation will not take much time and will not ruin the family budget. For such a fireplace, even a small area of \u200b\u200bthe room is not an obstacle, since a fairly compact model can be made. Properly approach the decoration of the fireplace, and then it will fit perfectly into the interior.
