Elevate Your Home With This Stunning DIY Faux Wood Fireplace Screen

Fireplaces are a cozy spot to gather during the chillier months in your home. From a design standpoint, they can also be a great addition to any space, providing architectural interest and a strong focal point. But during the warmer months, or when not in use, their dark flameless cavern can seem uninspiring at best, and unsightly at worst. HGTV recently showed YouTube audiences a hack for creating the perfect fireplace screen DIY that will have your hearth looking pretty with woodsy, Scandanavian-style charm. The screen, which is made from a sheet of plywood, some wood rounds, and a few well-placed magnets, is perfect for giving your fireplace an instant update when not in use.  

Even better, it's a very budget-friendly project, costing under $30 for the materials, making it a great alternative to expensive fireplace screens from home retailers. You will need an abundance of wood slices, available from craft stores and Amazon for around $15, as well as some strong 1-inch magnets. You will also need some wood glue and black paint to make this unique DIY happen.  

Begin by having a sheet of inexpensive plywood cut to the size of your fireplace. This particular style works best with gas fireplaces that do not give off too much heat when not lit (which may warp the board, make the glue less effective, and could be a fire hazard.) It can also work for wood fireplaces that have some metal in their surround for the magnets to stick to. Paint the board black as a fitting backdrop for the wood discs, allow it to dry, and then begin planning the layout of your pieces on the plywood. You can vary them in size and position to resemble a wood pile. then glue them down with wood glue. Glue the magnets to the back of the plywood where they will rest against any metal trim that will hold your flat screen in place. The magnets make it very easy to remove the screen when you use the fireplace and pop it back on when it's not in use.

For a wood-burning fireplace or faux fireplace that does not have glass and metal fronting, you can make a modified version. in this case, you can build out the screen so that it is freestanding without using magnets. Add two 2x4 pieces of wood screwed into the back along the sides. To these, you will screw two L-brackets that will allow the screen to stand inside the opening rather than against it. 

The technique to make this cozy and distinctive screen is actually something that you can use to decorate around your fireplace even if you are not looking to add a screen. Consider creating a custom piece of DIY art made from wood rounds above or around your hearth. When placed against the wall near your hearth, this can look like a wood storage cubby that will fool even the most observant eye and create a well-decorated fireplace. For another variation, use logs cut vertically in half and glued to the screen.

The framework for the magnetized or standing screen can also serve as a vehicle for other varieties of fireplace screens. If you do not like the rustic look of a wood pile, you can easily use other flat materials like stones, intricate moldings, or even 2-dimensional materials like fabric and decorative paper. For a faster DIY and more lightweight version, cover the plywood in peel-and-stick paper that looks like logs. Simply use an adhesive suitable for the materials to secure them to the magnetized or freestanding screen. You can even make different decorative screens for the changing seasons. Since they are flat, they are easy to store when not in use.