Easy DIY Faux Stone Fireplace with hidden storage & stone texture

When all is said and done, I have a 49.5″ wide by 34″ tall faux fireplace with two side cabinets and a center drawer. I primed all MDF and painted the interior, coated the outside with grout for a stone effect, then added a simple “mantle” and inset hearth.

Like most of my projects, I started by winging it and haven’t entirely finished it. There are still things I’d like to add to it, which is probably why I haven’t written this sooner, but for the sake of my fellow DIYers — enjoy.

the diy faux fireplace frame

I started this project twice. The first time, I used some cheap 1/2″ sheathing plywood (because wood was so overpriced in 2021. I made a simple desk shape box and tried to prop it up with 4 equal sized pieces, and it was so wobbly lol. I could’ve reinforced the corners but everything about this attempt didn’t feel right.

A swing and a miss.

Also left it outside and it got rained on. That was a final nail in the coffin!

annnnnnd take 2

I switched to a thicker material (3/4″), and opted for MDF. I’d used it before with my laundry room cabinets, and it is super smooth, sturdy, and easy to work with. Doesn’t handle rain well either, but I learned from that mistake.

Note to self: don’t leave unfinished furniture outside. Got it 👍

This time I started by assembling the two storage towers first.

After cutting 4 equal sized panels (12×32″), I marked where I wanted the shelves to be and drilled them into the sides using 3 pocket holes. Screwing in the other side was pretty tricky with the narrow spacing, but I managed with some wonky angling.

Once both towers were standing, I placed and attached the top cut (48×12″) across the length with glue and screws the top into the walls. Then glue and screw the center brace at the desired height of the drawer bottom.

At this point I moved it inside to avoid the rain (because MDF does not handle moisture. like, at all.) and spent some time thinking more about the design and planning my priming/painting schedule!

I cut out the cover panels for the towers and drawer too. Here we are holding them in place 😜

And also marveling over the fact that it is standing and very sturdy! Score.

Primed the MDF Frame

Added primer to avoid water rings or general damage. BIN primer is my go-to and seems to strengthen any material.

And attached the doors with concealed hinges to keep the look of a “solid structure”. This was my excuse to buy myself a concealed hinge Kreg Jig haha! Building my tool set one project at a time.

I also notched out some small rectangles with a jigsaw to make room for the cord channeling and allow it to sit flush against the wall!

The faux fireplace *~design~*

After staring at splotchy primer-paint job, doodling some design ideas for the front, and taking an inventory of my scrap pile, I whipped up a “step down” design leading to an inset drawer front for the middle.

I added 1/2″ MDF over 2/3rds of the towel panel doors, and another strip of 1/2″ MDF the outer most 1/3. I attached them with wood glue and some brad nails. Since the door panels are 3/4″ thick (along with the frame), the center drawer being 1/2″ thick makes it 1/4″ inset from the doors.

Loves it.

DIY Fireplace with.. a drawer!

Now with the doors complete, it’s time for the drawer! This was my first ever drawer build so I was a little intimidated. But I used the cheapest drawer slides which actually made it way easier. These slides are essentially fool proof and attach to the bottom of the drawer. I like to do things backwards and install the slides first so I could use the *actual* measurements for my drawer cuts.

The spacer is 3/4″ plywood scrap and adorned with my daughter’s handwriting ❤️ it keeps things uniform and easy!

I sliced up some more scrap MDF, cut out a channel on each piece for the drawer bottom to slide into (IKEA style) and jammed it all together with some sloppy wood glue and brad nails.

At this point, it looked like the fireplace hearth (idk? the space under the drawer where the fire would go) was small & awkward, so I raised the center spacer several inches.

Then it looked more like a desk, but it felt right ok?! That left me with some primer touch-ups to do.

Next I attached the new (shorter) drawer front and it was beautifully inset and everything was coming to life! fully functioning but unfinished.

The faux stone texture

The alternative to a stone texture is a wood fireplace surround, but when I think fireplace, I see bricks/stone. As a Floridian, I don’t have a ton of experience with fireplaces or heating in general, so this was honestly a fun dream project and I let my imagination run wild!

Then I saw Mallory from @mallorynikolaushome use sanded grout on her kitchen fireplace to give a stone effect and I was like yes. So cheap, so easy, so LIGHT. Since my faux fireplace is mobile, I need to be able to shimmy it around and adding stone tiles or something just wasn’t it.

I mixed up some white grout in a solo cup during nap times and shmeared it around with a putty knife, one cup at a time. Grout is very easy to clean up, so I just did it right in the living room with a putty knife and some baby wipes nearby.

This is the up-close texture and I love it so much! Notice the small line where the cabinet door starts? It’s so skinny and practically invisible to unsuspecting visitors.

Once that was done & dry, I sealed it with a satin finish polyurethane. It was a dusty mess without that finishing touch. The polyurethane also seals the texture in place. Otherwise the grout is sensitive to dings and scratches.

The mantle

After the grout was applied, I thought I was done. But it felt unfinished still and I knew it needed a wood accent/mantle. Without the mantle, it was just a cabinet that wanted to look like a fireplace.

I picked up a 2×4 sheet of 1/2″ plywood and trimmed it down to fit the top of the finished cabinet, including the depth of the doors. The top of the piece is exactly 48″ so it only took one “hot dog style” cut.

Using the scrap from the 2×4 plywood sheet, I glued a stack of ~3″ wide pieces along the width of the mantle and added a couple more along the depth at the edges. This increased the plywood thickness to 1.5″ for the height of the mantle.

Squished it down like a Sammy and added some brad nails.

Next I wrapped the 3 exposed edges with a 1×2 piece of select pine for a perfect flush fit. Special appearance from my postpartum sideburns 👋

This was also my first truly successful moment with mitered edges 🥳

nailed. wood filled. sanded. stained. sealed. obsessed.

The hearth

Naturally I thought I was done again, but realized I wanted to block the wall & baseboard from view. Back to the scrap pile!

I used some remaining 1/2″ MDF for the floor of the hearth and attached a small piece of wood to the back of that.

The cabinet itself sits flush against the wall so I didn’t attach something to the back of the cabinet, just brought it forward with wood scraps..

ahhhhhh! I love her so much. Quickly decided to paint the interior with black chalkboard paint I had on hand. It is fun for the kids to draw on, but gives the dark fireplace feel I was hoping for.

And just in time for Christmas 🙂

It is everything I hoped for and more. It’s very much a IYKYK moment when people come over, because guests are shocked to discover that it isn’t fixed to the wall and can be moved around AND that it is actually 100% storage space.

Thank you for getting this far through the post. I know it is a saga! I’ve included my best materials list for those wondering, and will include plans if there’s interest. Until then, I’ll be off figuring out another easy way to do something lol!

bonus picture of my diy faux fireplace when I painted the living room peach