A cozy living room with a large TV above a fireplace, decorated with vases and art pieces. Two brown leather chairs, a patterned rug, and a black coffee table add to the earthy tones. A stack of firewood fills the hearth below.
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DIY Aspen Log Fireplace Insert

ByLisa

Normally, a fireplace is a warm and welcoming addition to a room. Unless of course you have our fireplace which just dominates the space. Let me explain. It’s massive and until I painted it a few years ago, it was a dated orange brick nightmare. While the paint job definitely brought it back into this decade, several problems still remained. Specifically, the large hole for wood logs. Living room with a large fireplace showcasing an aspen log insert. The space is adorned with brown leather chairs, a patterned rug, and decorative shelves. Text at the bottom reads "DIY Aspen Log Fireplace Insert" with a website link to Garrison Street Design Studio.This post contains affiliate links.

DIY Aspen Log Fireplace Insert

The hole is a pretty good size and almost makes me think someone expected to heat the whole house with just the fireplace. Well folks, that’s not us! We have never made a fire in our fireplace in six years! True story. So it was pretty safe to say we would not be filling the hole with wood logs anytime soon, but it sure would look cool if we did right? Spacious living room with high ceiling and exposed wooden beams. Features a ceiling fan, large TV above a fireplace, and comfortable seating around a coffee table. Neutral color palette with natural light from a window on the left.For close to five years I have wanted to create a stack of faux logs, but never had the materials or quite frankly the time to do it. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon a Craig’s List ad recently giving away aspen logs. It was now or never.Cut logs of birch trees, perfect for a fireplace insert, lie on a bed of small gray stones beside a wooden fence. The light bark with dark markings is beautifully highlighted by the interplay of sunlight and shadow.

Since we have done a multitude of projects over the years, we had plenty of scrap wood hanging out in the garage to make this dream of mine happen for $0! Man am I on a roll or what? I didn’t have any plywood large enough to cover the hole, so I used a sheet of luan we had and cut it down to size.A yellow spirit level rests on a large sheet of drywall lying on a gray concrete floor, like logs ready to be stacked. The level, with its trio of bubble vials, ensures precision for any task—even the perfect installation of a cozy fireplace insert.

Next, we made a frame to support it since luan is pretty thin.A partially assembled wooden frame lays on a concrete floor, surrounded by tools, wooden pieces, and a stack of logs ready to feed the nearby fireplace insert.

Then we attached some scrap 2x4s to the back of the frame to keep it from falling forward.A wooden frame structure is being assembled on a concrete floor, resembling the framework for a fireplace insert. It consists of two vertical beams connected by horizontal ones at the bottom, forming a rectangular shape, with tools and cords scattered around like logs waiting to be organized.

Then I got to work cutting my logs into small discs. I did not measure the depth because I wanted them to have a stacked affect and thought varying sizes would be best.A green and black Ryobi miter saw is shown in a workshop, surrounded by tools. A pile of cut wooden discs is stacked on the saw table, with a fresh cut log—perfect for a fireplace insert—placed to its left. Tools and materials fill the background.

After I cut all the wood pieces I let them dry in the sun for about two weeks. The logs I found for free had just been cut down. If you have older wood you could probably skip this.A collection of round wood slices, reminiscent of logs for a fireplace insert, is arranged on a metal sheet on a concrete floor. A stack of similar wood slices rests nearby on the left.

While the wood was drying, I painted the piece of luan the color of our fireplace. You could also paint it black.A pair of black sawhorses with a wooden board on top stand in a workshop resembling logs stacked by a fireplace insert. Nearby, there's a bucket containing paintbrushes and a can of paint. Rolls of material and red buckets are visible in the background.

Once the wood was dry, I arranged all my pieces on the luan. A collection of circular wooden slices, resembling small logs, is arranged on a flat surface, displaying distinct growth rings. The wood pieces have a light natural color with bark edges visible, all placed against a dark background.Initially, I used my glue gun to glue them down. This was a BAD idea. DO NOT USE a GLUE GUN!A red hot glue gun rests on a white paper plate, surrounded by various wooden slices resembling mini logs on a black surface, ready for a craft project.

After a day of letting the glue dry, all the wood discs started to fall off! So we brought out the big guns and used some landscape adhesive we had on hand. This worked like a charm.A tube of Loctite PL 500 Landscape Construction Adhesive rests on a workbench, ready to secure everything from stones to logs. The tube is blue and white with a green and yellow label featuring a push nozzle. Tools and other workshop items are visible in the background.

If you have never used caulk savers, they are great! We found ours at Lowes, but these are similar.

When I glued all of the wood pieces down I purposefully left a few unglued so we could screw the luan to the frame and then hide the screws with a wood disc.Wood slices of various sizes arranged on a dark board, reminiscent of logs ready for a fireplace insert, with a couple of slices placed on a white surface nearby.

To screw the face to the frame we laid it out on a folding table in the garage to provide some support to screw through the wood. A wooden frame is partially assembled on a white folding table in a garage. A ladder and other tools are visible in the background, next to a fireplace insert awaiting installation, with a piece of drywall resting against the wall.A person uses a yellow power drill to attach a wooden slab to a base covered with circular wood pieces cut from tree branches, resembling miniature logs. The surface is on a white table.

Once the face was attached, I glued the remaining pieces of wood into place. Then it was ready to slide into its new home on the fireplace.A decorative arrangement of circular wood slices fills a square opening in a brick wall, resembling a rustic fireplace insert and creating a natural display with the charm of stacked logs.

Now, I can pretend we actually use our fireplace and spent hours chopping wood logs!A cozy living room features a large brick fireplace insert with a mounted TV. The mantel is decorated with candles and vases, while neatly stacked logs are arranged beside the hearth. A comfy chair with a colorful cushion sits nearby, perfect for unwinding.

I have just one more fireplace wish list item, a mantel. Coming soon, hopefully!A cozy living room showcases a large TV mounted above a brick fireplace insert. The space features a dark wood coffee table on a patterned rug, brown and beige seating, decorative vases, and a neatly stacked pile of logs by the inviting fireplace. A cozy living room features a large dark leather ottoman, two brown armchairs with striped cushions, and a fireplace insert with a stylish wood stack design. A flat-screen TV is mounted above the fireplace, and a window with red curtains brightens the space. A cozy living room features a flat-screen TV mounted above a brick fireplace, enhanced by a modern fireplace insert. The mantel displays red and black vases, while two brown armchairs with striped pillows surround a dark wood coffee table resting on a patterned rug. A cozy living room features a large beige sectional sofa, two brown armchairs, and a dark coffee table. A TV is mounted above the fireplace insert with wood decor, creating warmth. Shelves with decor and logs, along with a large mirror, elegantly adorn the walls. In the living room, a flat-screen TV sits above a brick fireplace boasting a modern fireplace insert. Decor includes vibrant red vases, a wooden log panel, and decorative balls. A brown sectional sofa with patterned pillows rests on dark wooden flooring beside a geometric-patterned rug.

If you enjoyed my DIY Aspen Log Fireplace Insert, please share it on Facebook or hover over an image and save to Pinterest! And if you don’t already follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, I would love for us to be friends!

A cozy living room features a mounted TV above a fireplace insert. Brown leather chairs with patterned pillows surround a large dark coffee table, complementing the beige sofa. Decorative vases and books adorn shelves, while logs add rustic charm on the dark wood floor with a patterned rug.

 

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A room with a brick fireplace features a DIY fireplace insert made of circular slices of aspen logs arranged in a grid pattern. The mantel is adorned with vases, and a TV is mounted above, creating a cozy and stylish focal point.

This post, DIY Aspen Log Fireplace Insert, appeared first on Garrison Street Design Studio.

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