IKEA Hack Fireplace Built-Ins: A Beginner-Friendly DIY Project
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Transforming the space around your fireplace with custom built-ins can completely change the look and feel of your living room. Not only do they add a stylish focal point, but they also provide functional storage and display space. In this post, I’ll walk you through my IKEA hack fireplace built-ins project, share tips, and explain why using IKEA cabinets is a great option for making built-ins around a fireplace easier to tackle, even for a beginner DIYer.
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
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What Are Fireplace Built-Ins and Why Should You Consider Them?
Fireplace built-ins are custom shelving or cabinetry units designed to fit around your fireplace, creating a seamless blend of storage and style. Framing your fireplace with built-ins can enhance the room’s focal point while adding valuable storage and display areas.
Benefits of Fireplace Built-Ins:
- Maximizes Storage: Built-ins give you extra storage space, perfect for books, media equipment, or displaying decor.
- Enhances the Focal Point: Built-ins highlight the fireplace as the room’s centrepiece, adding balance and symmetry to your design.
- Customizable Design: You can tailor built-ins to fit your specific needs, choosing from open shelving, cabinets, or a combination of both.
- Conceals Clutter: Hide unsightly cables, media equipment, or clutter with cabinets, keeping your space neat and organized.
- Increases Home Value: Custom built-ins give your home a polished, high-end look that can add value.
My Experience with IKEA Built-Ins
From my experience using IKEA cabinets for multiple DIY projects, including these fireplace built-ins, I’ve been really happy with how well they’ve held up. I haven’t had any issues with them; they’ve been sturdy and functional in every space I’ve used them. What I love most about IKEA is its products are designed to be affordable and accessible while still looking stylish and lasting over time. Millions of people use these products worldwide and undergo extensive testing and design improvements, so I feel confident in their quality. They fit my budget and style, enabling me to tackle bigger DIY projects without breaking the bank and fit my DIY skill level.
Why Use IKEA Wall Cabinets as Bases for Fireplace Built-Ins or Bookcases?
When creating custom built-ins around a fireplace or a bookcase, using IKEA wall cabinets as a base is a game-changer. Instead of building everything from scratch, you can streamline the process and make it more affordable without sacrificing quality or design.
Benefits of Using IKEA Wall Cabinets:
- Saves Time and Effort: IKEA cabinets are pre-cut and ready to assemble, making the project much quicker and easier than building from raw wood.
- Affordable: IKEA cabinets are budget-friendly while still offering durability, saving you money compared to custom cabinetry.
- Perfect for Shallow Spaces: If you have limited depth around your fireplace, ENHET cabinets are only 12″ deep, making them ideal for tight spaces. If you have more room, SEKTION cabinets offer additional sizes and styles.
- Ready-Made Storage: IKEA cabinets provide instant built-in storage, whether you choose doors to hide clutter or open shelves to display decor.
- Customizable: You can easily add trim, hardware, or paint to IKEA cabinets for a custom look that perfectly fits your space.
Designing Built-Ins Around the Fireplace
Planning is key when designing built-ins around the fireplace, and using design tools can help you visualize the layout and ensure everything fits perfectly. For this project, I used AutoCAD, Photoshop, and Canva to create a detailed design that met my needs. AutoCAD helped with precise measurements, while Photoshop and Canva allowed me to experiment with different design elements and decor.
If you’re looking for an alternative, SketchUp is a great tool I’ve used for other projects. It’s perfect for creating 3D models and visualizing how the built-ins will come together in your space. These tools made the design process much smoother and ensured the final look was exactly what I wanted.
Materials:
- IKEA ENHET wall cabinets (or SEKTION if you have more depth)
- Cabinet Doors
- 2x4s for the base
- ¾” plywood for shelves and top
- 1×2 Solid wood trim for the finished counter edge
- Wood filler
- Caulk
- Wood glue
- Iron-on banding for shelf fronts
- Crown moulding
- Trim for filler pieces
- Paint
- Shims
- Knobs
Have you seen my first IKEA wardrobe hack using Pax wadrobes? Learn more here.
Tools:
- Measuring tape
- Level (bubble or laser)
- Brad nailer and nails
- Drill and screws
- Circular saw (or have wood pre-cut)
- Router
- C-Clamps
- Caulk gun
- Paint and paintbrush/roller
- Sander or sanding block
- Stud finder
Instructions
Please note that I am not a professional contractor; I’m a designer and self-taught DIYer sharing how I achieved this project at home (35 weeks pregnant, with 0 help)! While I love sharing tips and techniques, it’s always essential to research and consult a professional if you’re unsure about any steps or safety concerns. This guide is meant to inspire and help you tackle a similar project but adapt it to your skill level and space. Now, let’s get into how to create these beautiful IKEA hack fireplace built-ins!
How I Built My IKEA Hack Fireplace Built-Ins
Step 1: Prepping the Space
First, remove the quarter-round (and baseboard) where the built-ins would go.
Since I had walls on either side of the fireplace, I didn’t need to build extra side supports, which simplified the project. If this is not the case for you, I recommend using a different tutorial that uses BILLY bookcases or similar!
Step 2: Building the Base
For this project, IKEA ENHET wall cabinets for the base since they’re only 12″ deep—perfect for my space. If you have more room, SEKTION cabinets offer more variety in terms of size and door options – plus the hinges are better!
Build all of your base cabinets and then a 2×4 base for your cabinets to sit on. The 2×4 base lifts your cabinets off of the floor, provides a sturdy base, and allows you to nail baseboards to them at the end of the project!
Here is an example from a previous project showing the type of 2×4 base I used. The key is to ensure that all four sides of the cabinet have support under them. I chose to have my cabinets and 2×4 base flush to add baseboards to the front of the 2x4s and have them align better with the doors once installed.
Attach the cabinets together using IKEA’s screws, place them on top of the base and use shims to level them. Once everything is level, follow IKEA’s instructions to secure the cabinets to the wall.
Step 3: Creating the Countertop
Use ¾” plywood for the “countertop,” having it cut to size at Home Depot. Nail this to the top of the cabinets.
Add a 2″ x 1″ solid wood edge to the front of the plywood for a finished look (you could also use iron-on edge banding). You may want to router the front edge of this piece for a more polished look. It is easy to do and takes your built-ins to the next level.
When installing this, I chose a 1″ overhang from the edge of the cabinet (this becomes less when you install the doors). To install, use wood glue and a brad nailer to attach it to the front of the plywood. Use wood filler to fill any gaps, and then sand.
If you’re working with an old house like mine, you may find your wall is not flat, and there might be a gap along the back of the “countertop.” To solve this, I bought a quarter-round and nailed it along the back to hide any gaps.
Step 4: Shelf Edge Banding
The shelves are made using ¾” plywood cut to size. My shelves are shallow (7″ deep), but you can adjust the depth based on your space. Once your shelves are cut, use iron-on banding to finish the front edges of the shelves. This is very easy to do using a household iron – it activates the glue, and it attaches to the plywood shelf edge.
Step 5: Installing the Shelves
Next, “dry fit” all of the shelves. When you have your shelves cut, get a few extras cut to use as side supports. How does this work? Decide on the shelf spacing and cut these side supports to this height—one piece for each side.
The first supports sit on the “counter,” on either side of the cabinets, touching the wall. Then, the shelf sits on top. I repeat this process over and over. See the image below for my “dry fit” image that might help you understand the side supports!
Attach the side supports to the walls with a brad nailer, then place the shelves on top. For longer shelves, like the left side of my built-ins, you might want to add little brackets to ensure the shelves don’t bow. I did this and hid them with paint and decor once the project was finished!
Step 6: Adding Finishing Touches
Add crown moulding to the top. Installing an extra shelf will allow you to attach the crown moulding onto something, and give a finished look to the built-ins. Add trim down the sides (from crown to countertop) to hide the supports, ensuring they match the crown moulding in scale/proportion.
In my living room, I wanted the crown to match our 100+-year-old crown, which is a bit thinner than the typical crown. Since I did this, I had to ensure the side trim was proportionate to the crown (I had to buy something skinnier than initially planned).
Step 7: Installing the Doors
You can install the doors at any point in this project, but I would definitely recommend doing this before installing the baseboards! At this step you can also install your knobs or hardware.
Step 8: Filler Pieces and Baseboard
Since you are using IKEA, your base cabinets likely don’t have the perfect fit, and you might have some gaps to fill. I used 1″ pieces of prefinished trim in the appropriate widths to fill these gaps and trimmed them to size!
As a finishing touch, install baseboard to the front of the 2×4’s. This might be tricky if your floors were uneven and you used shims (like in my house). You may have to trim down your baseboard to ensure the doors close properly.
Looking for tips on painting IKEA so it doesn’t chip? Learn more here.
Step 9: Filling, Caulking, and Painting
Once everything is installed, fill nail holes with wood filler, caulk all gaps, and paint the entire built-in. This step really ties the project together and gives it a professional, seamless look. You may want to paint all of the wood before installing it and caulk any gaps as you install.
I chose Benjamin Moore’s White Dove colour—I have used it throughout my house, and I find it a pretty good match for the IKEA AXSTAD doors!
Step 10: Styling the Shelves
Now for the fun part—styling! I love turning to Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration when decorating my IKEA hack fireplace built-ins. You can style your shelves with books, art, or decor to match your personal style.
Tips to Make This Project Easier
I completed this project while I was 35-36 weeks pregnant and did everything solo. I wanted to make this project as fast and easy as possible. Here are a few things that I did to achieve this:
- Used IKEA cabinets as the base
- Had Home Depot cut all of the plywood for me, including the shelves
- Pre-painted everything before installing
- Caulk as you install each shelf
- Have a plan – I like to draw out my project so I can think about how I will build it!
This project took me two weeks to finish (including styling) but only a few days of actual work. Levelling and installing the base cabinets took a good portion of the time because my house is old, and ensuring they were level was annoying. Once the bases were installed, the shelves were easy to install and took no time.
Total Cost of the Built-Ins Project
The total cost for this IKEA hack fireplace built-ins project, using IKEA ENHET cabinets, was around $1,000 CAD. This covered the materials, including the cabinets, plywood, and trim. Tools and supplies I already had, like the brad nailer and paint, helped keep the overall cost down. For a project of this size, it’s an affordable way to achieve custom built-ins without breaking the bank.
I hope this DIY guide inspires you to take on your own IKEA hack built-ins project! It’s a beginner-friendly, affordable way to add character and functionality to your home, and with a little creativity, you can truly make the space your own.
FAQs
Start by assembling and placing IKEA bookcases or wall cabinets on a sturdy base, then customize with trim, shelving, and paint to create a seamless built-in look around the fireplace.
Yes, adding built-ins next to a fireplace enhances storage, creates balance, and highlights the fireplace as a focal point.
Fireplace built-ins are custom shelving or cabinetry units designed to fit around a fireplace, adding storage and enhancing the room’s focal point.
