The fireplace 2

 May 2026

Once I was happy with the frame and the layout of the bricks I cut out the parts in 1mm thick card, the kind which is used for picture framing.  It's nice and sturdy and can be sanded as well.

The fireplace surrounds are in relief, so I cut a second piece and glued it on top of the main frame.

The sides are not mitred but just butted onto the front and supported by 4 triangular pieces.

The paper bricks were glued on according to the plan that I had worked out before.  I am quite pleased with the result and the relief shows up as I had hoped it would do.

Again I forgot to take pictures while working, so I can only tell you what I have done to create the tiles on top of the mantlepiece.

I used the same card and scored the parts between the tiles to add grey paint (cement).  The original tiles were dark brown and I wanted to try and recreate them as close as possible.  I tried a combined stain and varnish on black board and it showed up exactly as I had hoped it would.  However I had cut out the board in white, so I painted the 'tiles' black before I covered them with the varnish.  The colour of the varnish is dark oak.

Trying to show the tiles on top...

The next step will be the surroundings for the smoke channel, for want of a better word, which will be covered with wallpaper when I do the room.

I have created it from thicker cardboard, because it has to be sturdy as it will be wallpapered later.

The tiled part had to be cut into to make room for it:

This is what it looks like right now...

And next an impression of what it will look when finished.

I have also printed a 'worteldoek' on fabric.  This is to be hung above the coal burner, the way I show you in the second picture.  Unfortunately the colours look a bit washed-out.  The printer settings were probably not correct.

I will have to think about the way I am going to drape it.  In the past I used spray starch but I have run out over the years, so I will have to think of something else.  It would be silly to buy a new spray can just for one item.

The smoke has to go up all the way to the chimney, so I have created a 'smoke channel' for the bedroom and the attic for continuity. The colours don't matter, because it will all be wallpapered.