Easy DIY Fireplace Cover Board (DIY Screen)

Last year I decided our living room fireplace needed a little refresh, a DIY fireplace cover board! I originally designed this DIY fireplace screen during the summer since we weren’t using our brick fireplace during the warm summer months. I wanted something light and bright to cover the deep black hole that is our fireplace. We had a simple free standing metal fireplace cover that was easily folded up and stored away to make way for this new addition. The plan was to have this new screen in place for the summer then transition back to our original metal screen for the cooler months – but I loved the look of this DIY screen so much that a year later it’s still in place!

I always get excited when a great idea comes to life! I wanted a simple solution to change the look of the front of the fireplace for our family room. This screen has become the focal point of the room. While it was not the intention we do find that the best part about this fireplace cover is it does reduce the amount of cold air that seems to sneak in through the open fireplace, resulting in reduced heating bills. Our winter months here in Massachusetts get pretty cold!

This is by no means an unused fireplace, in fact behind the screen sits the fireplace grate holding birch logs ready to go with our own fireplace screen close by because who doesn’t love a toasty fire on a cold winter night?

Supplies for this Fireplace Makeover:

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• Elmer’s tri-fold foam display board 
• X-Acto Blister-Carded knife
• Peel and Stick Wallpaper
• Sharpie
• Scissors

The Process:

I purchased an Elmer’s tri-fold foam display board from Walmart and when opened, it was large enough to cover the opening of our fireplace. My husband and I used the folds of the foam board to our advantage to trace the fireplace opening. I held the front and my husband folded one side then took a sharpie and from the inside traced along the brick. Then he folded the opposite side and did the same. This was done free hand without a tape measure due to the unsual arch of our fireplace opening. For those with squared openings a tape measure would come in handy. We wanted to make sure it would be a snug fit to stay in place especially on the sides of the fireplace. From there I took an X-Acto Blister-Carded knife and simply cut along the Sharpie line.

After I took this roll of peel and stick wallpaper from Amazon and covered the foam board. The Peel and stick paper was so easy to use. You simply peel the waxy paper from the back and stick it in place. No messy wallpaper glue necessary!

Once the paper was on, I took my scissors and went around to cut the excess off.

Then I used the X- Acto knife to cut closer to the foam board. The paper adhered beautifully to the board and the X- Acto cut the edges perfectly! This paper was the ideal solution and the end result is beautiful.

From there I simply placed the new fireplace screen in the fireplace opening and had fun styling the space! I simply layered a few mirrors and empty picture frames with some added blooms. I love how it looks and how it just brightens up this space. Click here for more ideas for using empty picture frames in decor.

Thank you for visiting the blog today for one of my favorite DIY projects! This Easy DIY Fireplace Cover Board is a great way to cover a fireplace opening and to go from a drab fireplace to a gorgeous fireplace! Be sure to check out another fun DIY – Recycling Lighting Using Embroidery Hoops.