huddle handypersons

[Azazello1313]

so with the impeding arrival around the holidays of kid #2, we want to move the "upstairs TV" from what is now the guest room (soon to be the baby's room) into the living room. the way the room is laid out, by far the most sensible place for it is right where the big brick fireplace is. and after some discussion, we've decided we want to put it IN the fireplace.

 

we never use the fireplace to warm the house, since it happens to sit in the part of the house that stays the warmest anyway and it sits pretty close to the thermostat, so if we start a fire it basically just makes the rest of the house colder. had the house 5 years, and made a fire twice, both times on christmas morning. so we want to make it basically a TV cabinet. we definitely need a solution that is easily reversible, for when we sell the house or in case the apocalypse comes and we have to burn poor people for heat.

 

first though was to get someone to make ('cause I don't have the tools or the know-how) some sort of custom wood insert the size of the fireplace. it's sort of a 3d trapezoidal shape, so it's not quite as easy as just saying I need a 40 by 24 by 16 box with an open side. what kind of person would I look for to do something like this? custom cabinet maker?

 

also trying to consider other options, though none of them seem very promising. if I scrubbed it down real good, is there any sort of paint or anything that would look decent but still be fire-worthy? what about tile? a new layer of fire-bricks?

 

just trying to brain-storm and come up with a good plan any thoughts?

[SEC=UGA]

Whatever you do, DO NOT, penetrate the fire box or chimney flu.

[cre8tiff]

Whatever you do, DO NOT, penetrate the fire box or chimney flu.

 

+ a bazillion.

[Perchoutofwater]

I think you have the right idea. Build out a cabinet around the fireplace and put the TV the cabinet. If don right, you would never know there is a fireplace or anything else behind it.

[SteelBunz]

Depends on a few things. How "reversible" do you want it? Anything is technically reversible...lol.

 

Will you be using a flat screen? The firebox itself might be way too low for comfortable viewing. Is it possible to mount it above, then have an insert built for the components to reside within the firebox? Is there a mantel? Some pocs would be good.....lol.

 

And as already said, do NOT screw around with the interior firebox or chimney liner, etc. If you "dress up" the exterior with paint or tile, make sure it will look fine when you remove your TV system/components and "reverse" it back to a fireplace.

 

I don't have a lot of time right this sec, AZ.....but shoot me an email (my PM box is full again....lol) with pics. Let me see what sort of space/fireplace you have. I might have a few suggestions.

[Azazello1313]

Depends on a few things. How "reversible" do you want it? Anything is technically reversible...lol.

 

Will you be using a flat screen? The firebox itself might be way too low for comfortable viewing. Is it possible to mount it above, then have an insert built for the components to reside within the firebox? Is there a mantel? Some pocs would be good.....lol.

 

And as already said, do NOT screw around with the interior firebox or chimney liner, etc. If you "dress up" the exterior with paint or tile, make sure it will look fine when you remove your TV system/components and "reverse" it back to a fireplace.

 

I don't have a lot of time right this sec, AZ.....but shoot me an email (my PM box is full again....lol) with pics. Let me see what sort of space/fireplace you have. I might have a few suggestions.

 

yeah I'll post a couple pics tonight, but there's a hearth which raises the firebox about a foot off the ground, and the mantel pretty high as well. that's one reason we don't really want it on the mantel. another is that we want the TV to be fairly easily hidden from sight, as the living room is my wife's "office" when she has has students or prospective clients over. and on the mantel it would be fairly easily seen from the street, which to me just seems like a beacon to burglars.

 

don't really want to do anything to the exterior of the fireplace, as we like the exposed blonde brick just fine how it is. it's basically just the inside of the firebox we're talking about dressing up. I figure any kind of paint or stain would probably not hold up to the fire, but I don't know what's out there so I figured I'd ask. likewise, it seems like stone or tile would crack, but maybe there's some sort of heat-resistant product out there? the made-to-fit removable wood box insert thing seems like it would probably work the best and look the best, as well as being easy to reverse either temporarily or permanently. I'm concerned about cost though...

[Footballjoe]

Depends on a few things. How "reversible" do you want it? Anything is technically reversible...lol.

 

Will you be using a flat screen? The firebox itself might be way too low for comfortable viewing. Is it possible to mount it above, then have an insert built for the components to reside within the firebox? Is there a mantel? Some pocs would be good.....lol.

 

And as already said, do NOT screw around with the interior firebox or chimney liner, etc. If you "dress up" the exterior with paint or tile, make sure it will look fine when you remove your TV system/components and "reverse" it back to a fireplace.

 

I don't have a lot of time right this sec, AZ.....but shoot me an email (my PM box is full again....lol) with pics. Let me see what sort of space/fireplace you have. I might have a few suggestions.

 

 

Those were my first thoughts. I would have the TV mounted above the mantle for easy viewing and put doors on the fireplace to keep the cold out.

[Hugh B Tool]

Most any reputable carpenter in your area should be glad come out for a look see and go over options with you. I did a faux wall for my Dad before that covered a river rock wall with a fireplace area he had. He was thinking of tearing the rock down, which would've been way too much work and money. Came out awesome and the new owners that wanted the river rock were able to take down the wall with a lot less hassle. Though they never knew it was there until we disclosed it to them. Only thing that may need to be scaled back is the hearth, which would be easily replaceable if wanted

Edited September 7, 2010 by Hugh B Tool

[Thews40]

You're going to lose on this one if you go the cabinet path IMO. A big flat screen TV mounted on the wall costs about $1000. What you're talking about would cost the same, be bulky, and IMO wrong (Mickey Mouse). Not sure what the fireplace looks like, but if you put up new rock it's pretty easy. Unlike a shower that has to be waterproof, a fireplace only needs to hold the rock where it is, so 12X12 tile is simple and can be done with glue. I'm about to re-do my fireplace and have done a lot of rock work. I have a hugh tile saw you can borrow it you want, and the blade won't cut you so it's not dangerous.

[SteelBunz]

No Az.....you cannot dress up the firebox, ie tile or paint. You just really shouldn't mess with it. If it is in tact and in good repair, it is fire-rated as is. Anything you do to it will compromise the fire rating.

 

The best you can do is to have someone build a box structure that you can slide into place into the firebox and take out easily at a later date. Or you can build a false wall with 2X4's and drywall that wraps the fireplace under the mantel and secures into the wall on either side and then mount a TV. Try to leave the brick and mortar alone, meaning, don't drill into it.

 

The nice thing about the false wall.....you can hide the wires to components and to the TV thru it.

[Azazello1313]

ok, so the latest on this....contacted some carpenter/woodworker guys on this and the bids I was getting to build the cabinet thing we were envisioning were about what I expected, though maybe slightly on the higher end.

 

so I was about to pull the trigger, but then I thought of something else that might make more sense. what if I just got new fireplace doors (with the thinnest bottom profile possible), and just dressed up the inside of the firebox with some fabric stuck up with double-sided tape. still spending some money (nice new fireplace doors aren't cheap), but it's something that would carry value if we sell the house and convert it back to a fireplace, rather than just being a big wood box novelty the new owner would probably burn for firewood. and it will certainly look good, particularly from the outside. seem like a good idea?