How to turn an Entertainment Center into a Fireplace: DIY Upcycle

How to turn an Entertainment Center into a Fireplace: DIY Upcycle

Sometimes I get these really crazy ideas. Then I tell said crazy ideas to my husband and he says, “You’re crazy!” But then a day or two later, he comes back and says, “Let’s do it!” This project is one of those ideas that turned out really well, and it’s completely customized! {You can see some of these other projects here, here, and here.} We had an entertainment center that we no longer needed for its intended purposes. Here is what it looked like before:

We actually moved the TV out of our room into Ben’s office- at least that was our plan. It wouldn’t fit into our new (upcycled) entertainment center, which is another post for another day, so we ended up getting a flatscreen. But anyway, the point is, I didn’t want to get rid of this entertainment center. I got it for Ben our first married Christmas 11 years ago, when I barely had the $90 it took to buy it!

So instead of chunking it, I had the idea to make it into a fireplace for our bedroom, which is more cozy than a TV anyway, right? So my forever-obliging husband set out to paint it, and make a tile backing. It was his first time ever to tile and I think he did a great job. Here’s how we did it: First, measure the opening of the TV cutout of the entertainment center. Cut a piece of plyboard to that size. Choose your tile and lay it out how you want it on the plyboard, including the spacers.

You will  need a tile cutter for this task, which we had to buy since we hadn’t done this before. Cut the tile to fit the plyboard. Then, following the directions on the mortar, adhere the tile to the plyboard. Make sure you wipe off the excess mortar while it’s still damp so it won’t be too hard to remove later. Let the mortar dry, usually at least 48 hours. At this time, you can also paint your entertainment center if you like. We did. 🙂 Use “L” brackets to attach the plyboard to the back of the entertainment center. The plyboard will be quite heavy by this time, so it’s definitely a 2 person job!

Depending on the style of your entertainment center, you may need to drill a hole for the cord of the fireplace to fit through. We got this electric fireplace insert from Amazon and we LOVE it. (It was only $99 when we bought it so watch for it go to on sale!) It heats our bedroom really well, the flame is realistic, and best of all, it has a remote control! We had originally bought one from Lowe’s that didn’t have the heat, just the fake flame, but quickly decided we wanted the heat as well. I’m so glad we did since we’ve actually had a cold winter in Texas!

It’s definitely my favorite feature in our bedroom, and the kids love curling up beside it, too. See, a little crazy idea can be a good one!

 So, what’s the craziest idea you’ve had that turned out well? Ours is definitely much crazier than this one (think combining two houses into one), but that’s a post for another day!If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow eat/pray/read/love on Pinterest for more DIY ideas!

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This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.