Saturday, April 15, 2017

How to make a Real Flame Floating Fireplace

A Contemporary Floating Fireplace made with scrap wood, fireback, glass firestones and gel fuel cans

You can indeed build a great focal point in your living space.

Update to previous Post: This post was originally published on 3/22/2017 and has been revamped with additional content. 

Edited By: Fernando 4/15/2017


With all things considered lets just say for starters that this idea would likely be inclined to those of whom live in the "not so cold regions" of the country.

For example: For folks in the Sunshine State of Florida or even further west to the outskirts of California or even Arizona for that matter who by virtue of mother nature, enjoy "Sun filled Bliss weather" year round.

As time moves on and homes are being built, architects, contractors etc. are now implementing the idea of a functional fireplace into Southern and North Western homes were the climate is vastly warm. Know if you reside in the Northern part of the country you may be putting up a facial "that is nonsense" expression by now. 

Ah Yeah. You heard just right

Fireplaces in some of the hottest and most humid states, case in point Florida.
One of the main reasons for this we found was aesthetics. We all know how a fireplace can add warmth to an interior space in those bone wrenching winter months. Believe it or not bone wrenching weather in Florida would be 50 degrees. This is winter indeed when you talk about the southern tail end of the country.

Conversely a traditional fireplace can take up crucial floor real estate in small homes or apartment homes. This fact raises the importance of using a wall as a focal point and hence our reason for adding a Contemporary Floating Wall Fireplace. 

Know this may raise another question. What type of structural changes will one have to make for this design idea?  

The answer. None whatsoever

Ok. That sounds great, but what about fueling this fireplace?

The answer. For this Design, A Can !

Excuse me, but a Can of what? Well for the answer to that, simply keep reading.

In this tutorial we added a floating fireplace to the interior décor, not to necessarily dispense significant heat to the living space, but more so to add interest and visual appeal. The sight of REAL dancing flames will always give any room a "oh so cozy feel". 
Just think about it for a moment. Isn't this why they (who ever they are) came up with the idea of a "Real Dancing Flames" battery operated candles.[Source: Non-Sponsored]
Did you know they existed? 

Well I believe this is exactly why. Nothing in this world can replace the soothing feel and crackle of real flame. (Unless you get burned by it obviously.) Never mind that.

Now Lets get our hands dirty and get down to the good stuff.  





This is the pine wood purchased at a local Home depot hardware store and it is 2 X 6. We simply measured the appropriate length we needed and the best thing of all, the store will actually cut it to length for you. 

Note: Keep in mind they have a limit on cuts but for this project as you will see below, it was not a concern at all. 

We had it cut into four pieces for our desired rectangular shape. We then attached each end using 4 inch wood screws. Prior to screwing into wood always,always make small pilot holes as the wood may split if you don't. 




Here is an example of the base board we used for attaching the stone tiles we used as the back splash for the fireplace. 




Now one thing to keep in mind, is that this Real Flame Floating Fireplace will uses real flame therefore dispensing "Real Heat" hence we will have to use materials that will resist heat. 

If your walls are mortar or brick then you are already in the clear. This particular wall was your good old dry wall therefore we went with a stone back splash with some metallic highlights purchased at the home depot. We used some interior nail glue which bonds to all material "like a BOSS".

The stone back splash was first glued to a plywood cut to size of the interior of the fireplace frame work, then screwed in four corners onto the drywall. We left each corner of the plywood uncovered were the screws were placed (by peeling the stone strip from the mesh it comes attached to).  Once attached to wall, we glued each stone strip back into place in each corner to cover screws.


In this photo you can see we added some sparkle with some fire glass. Fire glass resist heat, adds a lot of Glam Sparkle and is not expensive at all. We got some from StarfireDirect online for cheap [source: non sponsored].
You may look at their shared you tube video clip on our spaces made perfect home page and on this page on on right side bar in which we show you one of their shared clips on "What is Fire Glass."
With no strings attached we must say this is one of our favorite places for this product. We believe you will absolutely love it also.

We then added some silver metallic painted rocks and some seashells to complement our summer season décor. We simply scattered these generously along the bottom to sort of cover the base wood surrounding the plate.  






This is a close up view of the L bracket which holds the glass in place. You will have a row of these according to the length of the fireplace. Please excuse me as I took this image after attaching the ceramic tile to the bracket. You may chose to see what the L bracket looked like  before the tile was placed over it. This was done more so for aesthetic purposes and I must say, it gave it so much more interesting character. 
 

How to Make a Contemporary Floating Fireplace

 In this shot you can appreciate the rocks, fire glass, and some sea shells sitting in the aluminum leaf dish we were fortunate to find at The Home Goods store [source: non sponsored]. More of these will fill the whole bottom nearly covering it completely. 

Once again. We chose aluminum because it is heat resistant and tends to dissipate heat rather quickly. In this leaf like ornament within the rocks is were we will place our cans of Real Flame gel fuel. More on these cans of fuel latter. Here you can also appreciate the open space to the left, and on the right a 1/4 inch thick and 12inch (H) tempered glass that contains the fire glass, rocks, etc. 

We purchased this glass at a home improvement store but you can also have one cut to size at any local glass distributor. The glass simply sits between the metal L shaped brackets we fastened to the wood. Remember to leave a gap between the wood and the bracket in order to have the glass sit snugly in place. 


This is a picture of the gap space between the L bracket and the wood that holds it in place. The Glass will sit right in that gap. Once again,depending on the length of your fireplace, will determine the amount of brackets needed. You can see how many we used for this particular project in the pictures above and below.


This is a bottom view image of the L bracket attached to the wood.


 Adding more embellishments to your particular taste, is the key to bringing this contemporary Real Flame Floating Fireplace together.  

Contemporary, Real Flame, Floating Fireplace

AH. Here we can admire the whole shebang come together. Mirrored glass balls in an inexpensive cylinder glass vase. 
The balls are propped by more fire glass. 

You can also interchange the fire glass to complement the seasons by incorporating different color schemes. The 1/4 inch X 12 inch tempered glass both rest in its respective place. 
Believe when we tell you that all the shimmering materials used will give this fireplace depth and interest as the fire glows on display 

A Silver Fireplace Fire Back
Will someone please explainwhat is that silver tray doing there ?
 Glad you asked. This is were we add more distance between  the fire source and the wall behind. Most of the heat will also be absorbed and dissipated by this aluminum metal tray. Have you also noticed the seashells engravings on the tray. We never planned this, but when we found it, it was like STRIKING GOLD.



Contemporary, Real Flame, Floating Fireplace, JoFer Interiors

Another view from the top. One thing we may have forgotten to mention is that the fireplace seems to also become invisible to the eye at first sight by painting the wood the same color as the wall. We left our  painted wood to cure for about four weeks before making use of the fire place. Most paints these days are very low in VOC's, nevertheless if you are using around heat your best choice are the heat resistant organic solutions that already exist in the market. At least for this small area it shouldn't cost much.  We found this Eco paint [source; non sponsored] online here. This was helpful in making an educated choice for our space.


Contemporary Fireplace, Real Flame gel fuel, Floating Fireplace

 Just another view. Here you can see an Artisan decorative pillow case we picked up on our trip to the Republic of Panama city. We always encourage those who love travel to always bring back some type(s) of textiles, whether be pillow cases, curtains, table cloths etc.

These items are easy to travel with and don't take much packing space. You can always store these great World finds for your next decor project.

We also added a handmade clay vase from Portugal and a succulent 2 X 3 beige  faux fur area rug we picked up from the local Home Goods store. These items, all create a cozy focal spot that is functional and easy to change as the seasons take its coarse.


Contemporary Fireplace, Real Flame gel fuel, Floating Fireplace

Another top angled view. Here you can see an up-close shot of the nearest birch branch we painted black and metallic silver to complement the space.


How to make a contemporary,floating,fireplace,for small places

 View of  traditional fireplace tool set that we painted metallic silver to give it a more contemporary flare.



How to make a contemporary,floating,fireplace,for small places.


How to make a contemporary,floating,fireplace,for small places.

 Uh. Behind the fireplace tool set lies a Yeso Victorian mold of an ancient woman. Another beautiful ornamental piece we added to give more interest to the overall concept. We glued it to the wood  with nail glue and also painted it using colors that were familiar to the décor.

Contemporary Fireplace, Real Flame gel fuel, Floating Fireplace, Sheepskin rug, Throws
 Just a few other BONUS Pics!

How to make a Real Flame,Floating,Fireplace.

Contemporary Fireplace, Real Flame gel fuel, Floating Fireplace, Sheepskin rug, Throws
A view from above. Here you can enjoy the view from above of the luscious 2 X 6 Boron Grey Sheep Skin rug, a Spring Throw which hangs from the arm chair, a 4 feet tall sea shell vase and last but not least a snake plant taking refuge in the corner.


All this brings together this fabulous Spring decor !

Image of the Real Flame Gel fuel cans (Ethanol clean burning) sitting between the rocks and a solid metal ball we painted with high heat white spray paint. Now you will believe that you can find these anywhere, from local hardware stores or even your huge brick and mortar stores like wall-mart. 

Well think again 

If you do not order these online, the only place we could find these cans was at the local PARTY CITY. Best of all it was only $1.49 per can which last about 2.5 hours of continuous burning BINGO !
We surrounded the cans with fire glass and rocks as means of concealing them a bit. This gel fuel stuff is amazing. No odors, No smoke or unpleasant fumes released into the home. The cans are gel alcohol based and please make sure you read the can for simply to follow burning instructions. Well there you have it. We surely hope you enjoyed your time viewing this tutorial project. If you decide to give something similar a shot, please feel free to share.  

Now for the Grand Finale. We will show you the final outcome of this Real Flame Floating Fireplace in all of its Glory.


Publisher(s) Note: This non-sponsored video is exclusively for the 
enjoyment of the viewers of this page.


ConclusionWhen it comes to décor and design ideas you don't always have to stick to the basics. A little imagination goes a long way and therefore there is never really a wrong idea. Conversely there may be better ways to incorporate the idea in the design, but it doesn't mean it is wrong. We say this because even though there are design ethics that we should always stick to, when it comes to your own taste, your Space Made Perfect should ALWAYS be "YOURS".
Also view our Archives for other post on creating interesting Spaces Made Perfect

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This Fireplace is such a great idea. I'm thinking on creating one for the bedroom. Thanks for the useful hints.