Continuing with the very complicated Cassidy Creations Federal fireplace wall kit, once the front facade and the back structure were completed, I moved on to the fireplace. The first step was to assemble three pieces to make the back of the fireplace. These pieces had mitered edges to meet up at an angle.
The kit came with a piece of styrene brick material, but I decided to make my own bricks out of egg carton. This might have been a waste of time considering they’re tucked into the fireplace, but I’d already wasted so much time staining and then restaining each piece of wood in the structure, why not waste some more?
The bricks are 1/8″ x 3/8″. I start by cutting a 3/8″ wide strip, and then cut it into 1/8″ pieces (I find this easier than cutting a 1/8″ strip into 3/8″ pieces). Then each brick gets its corners snipped off. If this process is new to you, you can read past posts about egg carton brick and stone here.
Here it is in context.
Next I painted the bricks red.
At this point I noticed that the very thin piece of wood was warping.
I attempted to flatten it out by clamping it to a piece of wood overnight, which sort of worked. Luckily, when this is in place, you can’t tell it’s a little bowed.
Next I painted on a coat of matte varnish.
When the matte varnish was dry, I grouted the bricks with Andi Mortar Mix (similar to this, except mine came pre-mixed).
Here it is while the mortar’s still wet. It lightens as it dries.
Emily is a freelance writer, miniaturist, and adventure game enthusiast.
