Elevating Your Faux Fireplace: The DIY Plank Wall Transformation

We’re thrilled to share the exciting next chapter in our faux fireplace journey! If you’ve been following along, you know we embarked on building a faux fireplace entertainment center earlier this week. While that project brought immense joy, what we did next truly transformed the space and brought our vision to life in an even more spectacular way.

This phase wasn’t just about adding another feature; it was about creating a cohesive, impactful focal point that would redefine our living room. Get ready to discover how a simple addition made a monumental difference!

*Update: Don’t miss the complete evolution of this project! Explore Part Three for further details and witness the stunning Final Reveal to see the completed transformation.

Introducing the Plank Wall: A Game-Changer for Our Living Room

That’s right, we installed a stunning plank wall! This has been a dream project for us, and while it doesn’t span an entire room, its impact on our living room decor is absolutely undeniable. More than just an aesthetic upgrade, this plank wall cleverly serves a dual purpose: it acts as a visual “chimney,” lending an air of authenticity to our DIY faux fireplace. The added texture and vertical lines draw the eye upward, creating a grand, architectural statement that perfectly complements the new fireplace mantel and hearth.

While the previous step of constructing the main fireplace structure (Part One) involved more intricate woodworking, this plank wall installation was considerably more straightforward. However, the outcome is just as dramatic, offering a beautiful blend of rustic charm and modern farmhouse elegance.

Essential Supplies for Your DIY Plank Wall

Before diving into the installation process, gathering all your materials and tools is key to a smooth project. Here’s what we used to create our captivating plank wall, designed to bring character and depth above our faux fireplace. (Please note: Affiliate links are provided below for your convenience. For more information, please see our full disclosure.)

• 9 1×6 Pine Planks: The number of planks will vary based on the width and height of your desired plank wall, specifically the space between your mantel and ceiling. Pine is an excellent choice for its affordability, workability, and beautiful grain, which takes paint or stain wonderfully.
• 2 1×4 Pine Planks: These are crucial for creating a finished edge on either side of your plank wall, giving it a polished, built-in look.
• Quarter Round Strip: This small, decorative molding piece is used to further refine the side edges, ensuring a seamless transition and hiding any visible plank ends for a professional finish.
• Long Level: An absolute must for ensuring your planks are perfectly straight and your guide lines are accurate. Precision here makes all the difference in the final appearance.
• Pencil: For marking guide lines, stud locations, and cut lines on your planks.
• 2-inch Brad Nails: Ideal for securing the pine planks to the wall studs. Brad nails offer good holding power without leaving large, noticeable holes.
• Nail Setter: If you’re hand-nailing, a nail setter helps recess the nail heads just below the wood surface, allowing for a smooth finish after patching.
• Popsicle Sticks (or other spacers): These are indispensable for creating consistent, even gaps between your planks, which is the hallmark of a classic plank or shiplap wall design. Coins, small shims, or even cardboard can also work.
• Power Drill and Hole Saw Drill Bit (optional): Essential if you plan to integrate a mounted TV and hide its cables within the wall structure, as we did.
• Hammer or Pneumatic Nail Gun: A pneumatic nail gun (like our beloved 3-in-1 nailer) makes the job significantly faster and easier, providing consistent nail depth. A hammer works perfectly fine for smaller projects or if you don’t have access to a pneumatic tool.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Your DIY Plank Wall

Transforming this section of our living room into a focal point was a rewarding process. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how we installed our beautiful plank wall, meticulously designed to house our large entertainment setup and provide an authentic chimney illusion for our faux fireplace.

1. Defining the Plank Wall Dimensions and Layout

Our first critical step was to determine the ideal width for the plank wall. We wanted it to be expansive enough to gracefully encompass our rather large television – a non-negotiable for Robert, as seems to be the case with many men and their impressive screens! Using a long level, we carefully drew precise pencil lines extending from the top of our newly built mantel all the way up to the ceiling. These vertical lines served as our crucial guides, marking the exact outer boundaries for our plank installation, ensuring a perfectly straight and symmetrical appearance.

2. Locating and Marking Wall Studs

Once the perimeter was established, the next vital step was to locate the studs within the wall. Attaching your planks directly to wall studs ensures a secure, long-lasting installation that won’t warp or pull away over time. We meticulously used our level once more to draw clear, vertical pencil lines over each stud. These lines would serve as visual targets for nailing, guaranteeing that every plank was firmly anchored.

3. Installing the 1×6 Pine Planks

With our studs clearly marked and our dimensions set, Robert began cutting the 1×6 pine planks to the precise width we had determined for our wall. Consistency in cutting is key for a professional look. We then commenced the installation, working our way up from the mantel. Each plank was carefully aligned with the outer pencil guides and then secured into place using finishing nails driven directly into the marked stud lines. This approach ensures maximum stability and prevents the planks from shifting over time.

To achieve that classic plank wall aesthetic, with its distinct, uniform gaps, we used spacers between each row. Many DIYers opt for coins, but in a moment of resourcefulness (and perhaps a slight aversion to spending our “broke” coins, as I humorously noted), we grabbed a stack of popsicle sticks we already had on hand. These proved to be the perfect thickness for creating the desired reveal between the planks.

When using spacers, a pro tip is to ensure they protrude enough to be easily removed once the plank is nailed. We learned this the hard way: one of our popsicle sticks got stubbornly stuck between two planks. Despite our best efforts, it refused to budge! We eventually gave up, pushed it in further, and thankfully, it’s now completely unnoticeable – a little secret hidden within our DIY. So, learn from our experience and make sure those spacers are accessible!

As we approached the ceiling, the final plank required a minor adjustment. We had to trim it down by about an inch to ensure a snug and precise fit, maintaining the consistent spacing and clean lines of the entire wall.

4. Adding Finishing Trim and Molding

With all the individual planks securely in place, the next step was to give the wall a polished, finished look. We achieved this by nailing a 1×4 pine plank over each vertical end of the newly installed plank wall. These 1x4s effectively conceal the raw edges of the horizontal planks, providing a clean, framed appearance. To further enhance this, we plan to add a small quarter-round molding piece beside each of the 1x4s. This additional trim will completely hide any lingering visible plank ends on the sides, creating a truly seamless and custom built-in effect.

5. Integrating the Television and Concealing Cords

This part always makes me slightly anxious – drilling into our beautiful new wall! However, since this entire project is designed as a faux fireplace entertainment center, integrating the television was a necessary and crucial step. While I initially wished we could mount the TV on another wall to preserve the “fireplace only” aesthetic, our living room layout simply didn’t offer another suitable spot.

To ensure absolute security for our television, we drilled directly through the plank wall and into the underlying studs for the TV mount. Anchoring into studs is paramount for safely supporting the weight of a mounted TV, providing peace of mind that it will remain firmly in place.

One of the significant advantages of constructing a faux fireplace is the flexibility it offers for cable management. To run the television cords neatly and discreetly, we drilled a strategic hole at the back of the mantel shelf using a hole saw drill bit. This allows all cables to drop straight down, completely out of sight. Behind our faux firebox door, we’ve ingeniously placed a working electrical outlet. This setup provides easy access for plugging in electronics without the unsightly clutter of cords snaking across the room, preserving the clean lines and aesthetic of our new focal point.

Ready for the Grand Finale: Painting!

And with all the construction complete, our stunning new plank wall and integrated entertainment center are now perfectly prepped and ready for paint! This stage is always incredibly exciting as it’s where the vision truly starts to manifest in its final colors and textures. We can’t wait to show you the difference a fresh coat of paint will make, tying the entire project together and giving it that flawless, finished look we’ve been dreaming of.

Curious about the next steps and how we brought this transformation to a beautiful conclusion? You can find all the exciting details for Part Three here, where we delve into the painting process and other finishing touches.

And for the ultimate reveal of the entire project, showcasing the complete DIY faux fireplace entertainment center and plank wall, along with all the final styling, don’t miss the full reveal here!