Make it with Kate

DIY Home Decor

7 Easy DIY Fall Centerpieces

DIY Home Decor, Fall, Seasonal

Fall is such a fun season to decorate for. The Fall inspires such a cozy warmth when it comes to decorating and it makes me want to cuddle up by the fire with a cup of tea. Here are some fun and easy DIY fall centerpieces to decorate for the season around your home.

These DIY Fall centerpieces using natural items like pumpkins or flowers, or faux apples and cranberries to create stunning arrangements.

Easy DIY Fall Centerpieces

A beautiful fall table is the focal point of a room, and fall centerpieces create a warm and welcoming ambience. Centerpieces are not just for dining room tables either. Fall centerpieces can be placed on a fireplace mantel, end tables, on a buffet, or any other area you want to enhance with brilliant colors, shapes, and textures of autumn.

Fall centerpieces purchased in stores can be quite pricey, but it is easy to make impressive centerpieces that look like they were purchased from a store.

Apples and Cranberries in a Vase

If you want a beautiful but easy fall centerpiece, invest in a tall glass cylinder and fill it with layers of artificial cranberries, pomegranates, and tasty looking apples of your choice. For the apples, you can choose real or faux apples.

apples and cranberries with leaves

Begin with a layer of artificial cranberries not he bottom, then top with the apples. Next add a layer of artificial pomegranate seeds, and top them with another handful of cranberries. Continue layering until the cylinder is full. This looks elegant but is really simple! What an easy way to dress up any table or mantel in your home.

Related: Faux Birch Vase Made from a Plastic Jar

Pinecones and Acorns in a Jar

The scent of pinecones is a reminder of fall, and what better way to welcome autumn than by bringing aromatic pinecones into your home. Partially fill a glass cylinder with small pinecones and dried acorns.

This is one of the easiest centerpieces you can create, but it’s one of the loveliest. Surround the jar with a pine garland wreath for added interest and appeal, and turn this easy centerpiece into a display of natural autumn beauty.

pinecones in a jar

Dried Flowers in Bowls

Dried flower heads in fall colors are gorgeous, and you can make beautiful but easy centerpieces using dried strawflowers of various colors. Dry your own flowers by hanging them upside down in a dark location for a few weeks, or create your centerpieces the easy way, and buy dried flowers from Amazon. Alternatively, you can opt for silk flowers of your choice.

dried flowers in a bowl

Remove the heads, and place them in a wooden bowl. Wooden bowls come in various sizes, and are great for holding vase filler or potpourri. You can find these bowls online or in stores. They are perfect for creating easy fall centerpieces.

This is one of my favorite types of decor to put on my built in bookshelves in the Fall.

A Beautiful Horn of Plenty

We have all noticed beautiful fall centerpieces that included a cornucopia overflowing with fall vegetables and fruits, and a store-bought cornucopia or horn of plenty can be quite costly but not nearly as impressive. You can create a beautiful horn of plenty by assembling inexpensive items purchased online or from your local craft store.

cornucopia with pumpkins

Purchase a woven cornucopia made of natural vine, and fill it with artificial grapes, apples, pears, small pumpkins, and squash. Further embellish this beautiful centerpiece by tucking in a few artificial oak leaves. This is one of the most beautiful and iconic centerpieces you can add to your fall table.

Natural Beauty

When searching for perfect autumn-inspired table centerpiece items, look no further than your backyard. Gather a few handfuls of colorful fall oak and maple leaves and a few acorns.

For a mix of casual and elegant design elements, place a vintage crystal cake stand in the center of the table; set a rust-orange or gold-hued tablecloth or runner under the stand to set the stage for the decor. Place a layer of fall leaves on top of the cake stand and stack a mix of mini orange and white pumpkins on top. Disperse the acorns throughout the pumpkin arrangement or display them around the perimeter of the cake stand.

Candlestick DIY Fall Centerpiece

Spice up basic candlesticks with a harvest-hued decor pieces. Buy two small grapevine wreaths from a craft store or online floral retailer. Wrap wire-enhanced faux fall leaves, red berry sprigs, nuts and red orange and yellow flowers onto the wreaths.

If you prefer to use fresh leaves and flowers, attach a small piece of craft wire to the items and attach them to the wreath. Set the decorated wreaths on top of the candlesticks, leaving space for the candles.

Slip festive gold, red or orange taper candles into the holders and arrange the sticks in the center of the table.

candle with a fall wreath

Festive Flowers in a Pumpkin

For a casually elegant centerpiece with plenty of farmhouse appeal, add some flowers to a fresh pumpkin. Soak a piece of floral foam, cut to fit, in cool water and place it in a hollowed out pumpkin.

Place stems of autumn flowers, such as deep red and orange roses, mums and sunflowers, into the foam to create an explosion of color. If you want to design a long-lasting decor piece, use silk blooms and a carveable foam pumpkin instead.

flowers in a pumpkin vase

Enjoy your DIY Fall Centerpieces

Whether you are creating a table centerpiece for Halloween, Thanksgiving or the entire fall season, design decor that will add warmth and vibrancy to your home. Call on the season’s natural elements, such as fiery leaves, golden hay and bright orange pumpkins, when creating your centerpiece. Combine elegant vintage items with rustic pieces to design inspired decor.

Supplies to Make these DIY Fall Centerpieces Easy

*These are Amazon affiliate links. This site will receive a small commission made from purchases.

Fall Vase FillerFall Vase FillerFall Vase Filler95 PCS Natural Pampas Grass95 PCS Natural Pampas Grass95 PCS Natural Pampas GrassArtificial Pumpkins Home Decoration SetArtificial Pumpkins Home Decoration SetArtificial Pumpkins Home Decoration SetSanta Barbara Design Studio Wood Serving BowlSanta Barbara Design Studio Wood Serving BowlSanta Barbara Design Studio Wood Serving BowlCylinder Clear Glass VaseCylinder Clear Glass VaseCylinder Clear Glass VaseMartha Stewart Vintage Cake StandMartha Stewart Vintage Cake StandMartha Stewart Vintage Cake Stand16'' long wicker cornucopia basket16” long wicker cornucopia basket16'' long wicker cornucopia basket36 Pcs Taper Candles Unscented Tall Dripless Candlesticks36 Pcs Taper Candles Unscented Tall Dripless Candlesticks36 Pcs Taper Candles Unscented Tall Dripless Candlesticks7Pcs Artificial Pumpkins7Pcs Artificial Pumpkins7Pcs Artificial Pumpkins

 

Pin these to your Fall Decor Board

These DIY Fall centerpieces using natural items like pumpkins or flowers, or faux apples and cranberries to create stunning arrangements.

DIY Gaming Couch from Scrap Wood: Fall ORC Week 7

DIY Home Decor, DIY Woodworking, One Room Challenge

Week 7 of the fall one room challenge means the finishing touches! There is one week left until the final reveal of this game room makeover. One of the components I wanted to figure out most in this room was seating. I built this DIY gaming couch 100% from scrap wood in my garage, and it was easy!

This gaming couch is made out of scrap wood and is the perfect addition to a game room for kids, with seating for 5 in a small space

Build a DIY Gaming Couch

When we bought this house, the first thing we did was convert this media room off to the living room into a playroom.

This entailed ripping out existing built in media shelving and making my own built ins that could house board games and bins of kids toys. Luckily I saved the wood from those media shelves, because they made their way into a couch for that same space! I love a good repurposed project.

This room as a play room needed floor space that was open for play on the ground. It was filled with Magnatile towers (my very favorite kids toy) and marble runs and other works in progress all the time.

My kids have since gotten older and do less floor play, and more hanging out together playing board games and video games. So, with the transition of this room from a preschool playroom to an older gaming room, came the need for seating.

As is the case with most of my DIY woodworking projects here I like to do things on a budget, and use what I have.

How to Build the Gaming Couch

I scoured Pinterest looking for the perfect simplistic design that I could create that would not take up a lot of space and that would provide quite a bit of seating.

I landed on these plans for a Zig Zag Couch from Homemade Modern and it was perfect. It was low to the ground with a tilt up looking at the tv, perfect for gaming. BUT, it had a counter top back where 3 more bar stools can sit. This allows for 5 kids to hang out in this seating area that really doesn’t take up a lot of the room at all!

You can get the plans for the Zig Zag Couch here on their website, it has a detailed tutorial and cut list that is very easy to follow.

What scrap wood did I use?

When I tell you I used scrap wood, I mean I seriously used scrap wood. If you look through the plans, they use 2x4s, 2x10s and 3/4″ plywood. When pricing this out, it would have cost me close to $200 to build, which it why I turned to the leftovers that I had!

I used:

  • 3/4″ MDF board for the bottom braces
  • 2×6 for the back braces and the countertop braces
  • 3/4″ melamine for the bench seat
  • 1×2 common board for the back of the bench to make the seat a bit longer
  • 9″ media shelves for the seat back, counter top and the bottom front

That is a serious mash up of scrap wood. But, the measurements of the wood were consistent in their thickness which is what allowed for all the variation in type.

Plus, most of these boards are quite sturdy.

I followed the tutorial using just a circular saw to make most of the cuts, and my miter saw to make the 20° angle cuts on the back braces.

Then, I assembled the couch using 2.5″ construction screws and my drill and a brad nailer!

Finishing the DIY Couch

Once constructed, it was sturdy but looked rough.

I sanded the entire unit with 40 grit sandpaper which is very rough. Even the melamine board I sanded to help it take the paint.

Then, I used Kilz primer to prime the entire piece, and used my paint sprayer to paint the entire thing black.

It now looks like a cohesive unit, and not one that was pieced together out of scraps!

Making simple couch cushions

I like to save upholstery foam from various projects that I flip, and my friend graciously gave me the foam from outdoor cushions she was replacing.

So, guess what else got made out of scraps??

I’ll show you a very simple way to make a no-sew couch cushion.

What you need:

  • 2″ or 3″ upholstery foam
  • batting
  • spray adhesive
  • 1/4″ plywood (or hardboard if placing it on solid wood like this build)
  • staple gun
  • upholstery fabric

How to make the seat base cushion

Cut the piece of plywood to fit the seat base, slightly smaller than the base of the couch.

Use spray adhesive to attach the foam to the seat base.

Fill in any corners or empty spaces with poly fil.

Cover the foam and poly fil with batting to smooth out the foam top.

Wrap the entire thing with upholstery fabric and flip over.

Staple the fabric and batting to the underside of the plywood (now facing up) doing the sides first.

Once the sides are attached, trim excess batting and fabric at the corners and staple to the wood.

You should have a simple bench seat cushion that you can place right on the couch base!

I used velcro to keep the cushion from sliding around the base of the couch.

I made one of these for the seat and one for the back of the couch.

This gaming couch is made out of scrap wood and is the perfect addition to a game room for kids, with seating for 5 in a small space

This was the perfect addition to the game room makeover!

CHECK OUT ALL OF THE POSTS IN THIS SERIES FOR PROGRESS

DIY Neon Sign and Backlit Trim: Week 6 Fall ORC

DIY Home Decor, One Room Challenge

This one room challenge is wrapping up in a couple of weeks, and I’m now in the stretch of finishing touches. This week, I built a DIY neon sign. It’s a tedious but doable process, I promise. It also definitely ‘leveled up’ this game room makeover.

I also created backlit moulding around the faux brick wall with LED light strips, I’ll walk you through that too.

This DIY neon sign is made with neon flex light strip and plexiglass. Check out this tutorial to make your own.

Make a DIY Neon Sign

This was the first time I used a soldering iron and worked with electrical wire. I learned a lot about the process while figuring this out, and it was frustrating at times, but I did it.

I only say that to try to inspire you, if this is a new skill for you, you can do it too!

I’ll try to break the process down but as a disclaimer I’m sure there are more technical terms that I don’t know. So, I’ll do my best to explain in my own terms how I went through the process.

The good news it that’s its a repeatable process that you do over and over to create the sign. So, once you get the process down, it’s smooth sailing.

This DIY neon sign is made with neon flex light strip and plexiglass. Check out this tutorial to make your own.

What you need for make the neon light sign

How to make the DIY neon sign

Design and prep your sign

I use Canva for my design needs. It is great for creating mockups of the spaces I want to renovate or creating digital graphics. In Canva, there is a font called Lovelo Line and it is the block style lettering I like for neon signs.

After creating the design to scale using the size of the plexiglass I was using, I saved it as a PDF, then opened it in Adobe Acrobat and printed it as a poster.

Then, I placed the poster printout under my acrylic sheet (making sure things were level and centered) and traced the design with a paint pen. The paint pen wipes off of the plexiglass easily after the sign is finished.

When making a neon sign, the lit cord stays on top of the plexiglass, while the wires it’s connected to weaves in and out from front to back. Therefore, you need to make holes in the plexiglass where this will occur. With a font like I used, this occurred at every line break in a letter.

Cut and solder the neon light strip

Because the light strip will only sit on top of the plexiglass, you need to cut sections of the flex light for each portion of the letters determining where each end will be soldered.

Make sure you buy cuttable flex light, which will have black lines indicating where the strip can be cut. You have to cut on these lines because that is where the copper terminals will be to solder the electrical wire.

In order to expose the copper terminal, cut on the black line, then cut away the top half of the light strip above the terminal. You should cut enough away to completely expose the terminals in the light strip.

I tried a couple of different methods of cutting this away but found that cutting pliers worked best for me. I cut the sides first then cut the top off.

Solder the electrical wire to the light strip

18/2 lamp wire is what I used for this project. The 18 stands for the gauge of the wire, smaller numbers = larger wire. I would have preferred 20 or 22 to make the wires a bit smaller in hindsight. The 2 stands for the number of strands inside the wire, in this case positive and negative.

The light strip has two copper terminals, positive and negative, so stranded wire with 2 wires is what you need.

On the light strip, the terminal at the bottom where the light strip is white is negative. The terminal at the top where the colored silicone is is positive.

On the lamp wire, the ripped side is negative and the smooth side is positive. Get to know which is positive and negative and make notes if you need to. I had a sheet of paper next to me that said ribbed = negative = bottom terminal and positive = smooth = top terminal. I referred to this a lot until I really got the hang of it.

To attach the wire to the terminals on the light strip, you need to separate the stranded wire a bit, I do this by cutting down the middle a bit then pulling it apart. Then, use the wire strippers to expose the wire at the end, cutting about 1/4″ of the coating off. Then twist the wires to make them nice and neat. Slide an end cap onto the separated wire and leave it down while you work.

Place the negative wire on the negative terminal and melt some solder wire on the tip of the hot soldering iron, then quickly place that melted alloy on the wire and terminal while still hot. This hardens very fast so work quickly.

This should create a small bubble of hard metal over the wire on the terminal. After it hardens, give the wire a small tug to ensure that it is connected. Then repeat this with the positive wire. Slide the end cap up to cover the soldered tip of the light strip.

Attach the soldered wire and flex strip to the board

Push the wire down through the hole at the end of a letter and use super glue to attach the light strip to the plexiglass.

Weave the exposed end of the electrical wire up through the next hole, and repeat the process to solder it to the next strip of light.

If it’s too hard to weave the electrical wire up and then solder it on, you can solder the next strip independently and then attach the electrical wires together at the back of the board. Do this by stripping a section of the wires away, putting positive and negative wires together and twisting them. I did this is a couple of places and used electrical shrink wrap over the twisted sections. You could alternatively use electrical tape to cover them.

Continue soldering and weaving and super gluing the light strips down.

The thing to remember is that you are creating a singular electrical current. So every time you cut the light strip and stop that current, you need to add wire and continue the connection to the next piece.

Troubleshooting

Test every connection by plugging the sign in after each solder you make. If the strip that you connected doesn’t light up, solder it again. If you’ve soldered too much or the terminal comes off, cut that section of the strip off and try again or use a new section of light strip.

If you’ve tested connections but then at some point along the way something stops working, wiggle each connection while the light is plugged in and see if something is loose.

The positive and negative wires can’t touch each other, so also check at each connection and make sure that any exposed wire isn’t touching.

This DIY neon sign is made with neon flex light strip and plexiglass. Check out this tutorial to make your own.

Mount the neon light sign

Once all of the wire is soldered and attached, you can mount this on the wall. I did this by drilling holes in each corner and using a drywall anchor + spacer behind the sign, then a screw through the front into the spacer and wall anchor.

The 1/2″ spacer kept some space between the wall and the sign so that all of the wire in the back wasn’t cramped. Once the sign is lit up, most of the wire will kind of disappear.

PHEW. That was a lot of info. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram. You can look through the stories in my highlight bubble there on this process too.

This DIY neon sign is made with neon flex light strip and plexiglass. Check out this tutorial to make your own.

Backlit Moulding

Onto the easy lighting in the room. I wanted to give this room a fun vibe and make it look less like an office. So, I thought LED light strips would do just that. But, I don’t like the look of exposed LED lights.

This room doesn’t have any crown moulding, but I did want to put some small trim around the faux brick wall. I got a small crown moulding that is only 1″ tall but is angled the same way crown moulding is.

I placed the LED light strips around the perimeter of the wall, then used a brad nailer to place the crown moulding over the light strip. I left a gap at the top of the crown moulding so that it wasn’t flush against the ceiling or the side walls. This allowed the light to show through that gap when turned on, and, when turned off it just looks like regular moulding!

I did use caulk on the underside of the moulding to give it that finished look when the lights are turned off, and so that the light only shone out of the top of the trim.

WOW. This was a week of learning new skills, and turning this boring build into a place where my kids will love to hang with their friends.

This DIY neon sign is made with neon flex light strip and plexiglass. Check out this tutorial to make your own.

More Fall One Room Challenge Posts for this Game Room Makeover

See all the posts leading up to this week below: 

This DIY neon sign is made with neon flex light strip and plexiglass. Check out this tutorial to make your own.

Painted Leather Chairs: Updating Outdated Leather

DIY Home Decor, Furniture Flips

I found these metal and leather chairs on Facebook Marketplace and loved their shape. They had a midcentury modern vibe but I felt that the leather needed some updating. These painted leather chairs came out great, and it was just enough to give them a little update.

What a fun furniture flip project anyone can do.

These painted leather chairs were so easy to do. The paint gave outdated green leather, mid-centure modern chairs just the update they need.

Painted Leather Chairs with All-in-One Paint

After I found these on Marketplace I started doing some Pinterest scouring and Google searching to see how I could update this leather without completely reupholstering.

The leather had just a tiny couple knicks and a small tear, but was otherwise in great shape. And, the color was the only thing I wanted to change.

So I searched for “how to update leather chairs” and couldn’t believe my eyes when I read multiple search results about painting leather. Mind blown.

I looked at a few different options and settled on Heirloom Traditions All-in-One Paint for my painted leather chair project.

Bonus, the kit came with leather repair bonding and all of the tools I needed to update this green leather.

These painted leather chairs were so easy to do. The paint gave outdated green leather, mid-centure modern chairs just the update they need.

How to Paint Leather Chairs

The Heirloom Traditions kit comes with everything you need and following the directions on their packaging will get you the best results.

heirloom traditions all in one paint

First, use their surface prep solution with degasses and degreases without sanding.

Then, repair any knicks and tears by applying the repair compound and letting it dry. Once dry, the sanding block will create a smooth surface for painting.

The small knicks in the fabric were easily repaired with one coat of compound. For the small tear in the leather I did the repair process twice before painting.

Once the leather has been prepped and repaired, it’s time to paint!

I got the Cappuccino paint and used a foam roller to apply the paint and made sure it really soaked into the seam areas. I ended up giving each cushion 3 coats of the paint.

I was able to do 4 chairs with the quart-sized kit, but for your specific project they have a calculator on their site for you to determine how much of the paint you need.

Once dry I put the cushions back on the chairs and removed the tape over the metal areas and they look AMAZING.

Painted Leather FAQs

I received a couple of questions about the process from my Instagram community (follow me there to see all of these DIY tutorials in Stories) so wanted to answer them here.

Does the painted leather still feel authentic?

YES! This was my biggest concern and what I have been most pleased with. You would have zero clue that the leather has been painted, instead it looks like I have completely reupholstered the chairs.

Did the paint crack or chip after drying?

We have been using the chairs for about a week, my kids are using them while they play video games and they are not necessarily easy on them, and they haven’t cracked or chipped at all.

Can I use a paint brush instead of a roller?

The paint was great at self-leveling, but to make sure and avoid brush strokes I would use a foam roller. If you need to get into grooves or along the seams, a brush would work to dab the paint down in those areas.

Painted Leather Chairs are Easy!

I’ve done some pretty fun DIY building projects over the last year, and this painted leather has blown me away completely. It’s so easy and so cool.

If I do it again I’ll definitely buy the Heirloom Traditions kit again, plus, they have coupons available on their site often!

They have been the perfect addition to my game room makeover.

DIY Neon Sign
DIY Neon Sign
DIY Mudroom Build
Faux Marble Countertop with Epoxy
View all stories

Faux Marble Countertop with MDF and Epoxy: Fall ORC Week 4

DIY Home Decor, One Room Challenge

This faux marble countertop is made out of MDF and epoxy, and looks like the real deal. Check out the straightforward and easy process.

It’s Week 4 of the Fall One Room Challenge and we are halfway there! This game room makeover is moving right along, and this week I finished the faux marble countertop made with MDF and epoxy.

I can’t wait for you to see how simple this tutorial is, and how beautiful this countertop turned out. I promise it’s a DIY home decor project that is perfect for beginners.

This faux marble countertop is made out of MDF and epoxy, and looks like the real deal. Check out the straightforward and easy process.

Make a Faux Marble Countertop

This faux marble countertop looks real. I can’t get over it. It’s a simple process that I’ll walk you through, and I’ll also show you the mistakes I made and what I would do differently.

What you need for the faux marble countertop:

How to make the marble countertop

If you missed the post about building a gaming console out of stock cabinets, go read that to see how we got to the point of having a countertop to makeover.

For the quick version, I built a countertop out of MDF boards to fit the top of my built ins. The exact dimensions will depend on your space.

But, you don’t need to build a countertop to use this epoxy kit and method. It will work over existing countertops! If you are going to build your own, use a non-porous material like MDF instead of plywood.

I’ve seen a few different methods of making a faux marble countertop, many involving painting the countertop to look like marble and then covering with a clear coat of epoxy.

This method works well and has a beautiful look, however, I wanted the black and white marbling to look more incorporated rather than painted separately.

This faux marble countertop is made out of MDF and epoxy, and looks like the real deal. Check out the straightforward and easy process.

I found this black marble epoxy kit from Stonecoat Countertops and it was PERFECT. You can tint the epoxy black and then add the white epoxy veins to that while wet so that the two become incorporated and marbled giving this a very realistic look.

Stonecoat Countertops has many YouTube videos that I watched to learn how to best apply this, and if you buy the kit you can simply follow their directions. But the general steps are to:

  1. Prep the space by covering and taping everything surrounding the countertop with plastic sheeting and tape. I made holes in the countertop for cords, so placed a disposable cup underneath these to catch falling epoxy.
  2. Paint a base of epoxy undercoat, I used a foam roller for this.
  3. Mix the epoxy according to the package directions tinting most of it black, and tinting some of it white.
  4. Pour an even line of epoxy down the center of the counter.
  5. Spread it with a 1/8″ notched trowel.
  6. Chop the epoxy with a brush.
  7. Use a propane torch or heat gun to even out the epoxy and remove air bubbles.
  8. Pour the white veining in lines through the black epoxy and spread with a plastic spreading knife and a heat gun.
  9. Let cure overnight.
  10. Pour a clear topcoat following the same steps.

Here is a sequence of photos for reference.

Mistakes I made with this faux marble countertop

Overall, I love the way this turned out. But, as is the case with most DIY projects, I learned a bit about what I will do differently next time.

Ideally, I would have poured and created this outside then transferred it into the game room. But, because of the length I was nervous to move this throughout my home.

There was a section of the epoxy that didn’t seem to be settling right and was pooling at the edge, I tried to remedy this after it had already slightly cured and I ended up making it lumpy and bubbly.

This was a low point in the project for me, but I got some wet sandpaper and sanded the area (which dulled the sheen) and then repoured another top coat. This mostly fixed the area! It’s still there if you look closely but it doesn’t take away from the whole project.

The edge of my countertop doesn’t look great. When I attached the two MDF boards together I didn’t wood fill or caulk the seam on the edge. If I had, this would have made for a much smoother edge.

Cost Breakdown for the Faux Black Marble Countertop

This is such a cost effective way to get the look of marble in your home at a fraction of the cost.

  • Epoxy Kit = $90
  • MDF = $45
  • Prep materials and tools = $50

The black marble countertop of my dreams

In planning this game room makeover, I couldn’t help but keep coming back to black marble for this countertop. Buying actual black marble was out of the budget but this epoxy version was just right.

I am so happy with how it turned out, and how the whole room is taking shape! I’m halfway through this project and can’t wait to see how it turns out.

This faux marble countertop is made out of MDF and epoxy, and looks like the real deal. Check out the straightforward and easy process.

Below are the posts leading up to this point, and be sure to check back to see how it all comes together!

Fall One Room Challenge Game Room Makeover

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the posts in this series! 

DIY Neon Sign
DIY Neon Sign
DIY Mudroom Build
Faux Marble Countertop with Epoxy
View all stories

DIY Faux Brick Wall from Wall Paneling: Fall One Room Challenge Week 2

Building Projects, DIY Woodworking, One Room Challenge, Wall Decor

This faux brick wall is made with joint compound and wall paneling, and when you’re done with it, it looks like real german schmear.

If you missed my plan for the One Room Challenge Game Room Makeover, head there to see what this wall is becoming a part of! I’m thrilled with how this faux brick wall turned out, plus, it’s a cost effective stone wall.

This faux brick wall is made with joint compound and wall paneling, and when you're done with it, it looks like real german schmear.

Faux Brick Wall Made from Paneling

When we think of wall paneling, the old dark wood panel walls from the 80’s come to mind. But, wall paneling done right can become beautiful feature walls! Don’t believe me? Check it out.

If you read the post linked above, you know that I’m participating in the Fall One Room Challenge hosted by Better Homes and Gardens. I’m working on building a wall to wall console for video game storage and use, this faux brick wall, and some DIY shelving to make an awesome game room for my kids.

I can’t wait to see it all come together, and this feature wall was the first step! Let me break it down for you so that you can see how a blank white wall can become a white ‘brick’ wall.

This faux brick wall is made with joint compound and wall paneling, and when you're done with it, it looks like real german schmear.

What you need to make the faux brick wall:

  • brick wall panels (they come in 4’x8′ sheets, so get what you need to fit your space)
  • liquid nails or other construction adhesive
  • brad nailer (optional – you could use a hammer and nails but a pneumatic nails sinks the nails in and they become invisible)
  • circular saw or jigsaw to cut the paneling to size or cut out outlet holes etc.
  • joint compound
  • plastic taping knife
  • 120 grit sanding block
  • white paint
  • water
  • foam paint roller

How to make the faux brick wall

A brick wall panel is a chipboard panel with an acrylic coating that looks like real brick. To me, it has the shape of brick but is missing the texture and imperfection of real brick.

So, in this tutorial you will see how to layer joint compound over the brick paneling to get the texture of real brick, and the result is beautiful!

process photo of brick wall paneling installation

Step 1. Cut the brick panels to size with a circular saw or table saw.

Step 2. Measure and cut out any outlets, wall vents or other holes that you need to access on the wall behind the paneling. Do this by marking the cutout, beginning a jigsaw hole with a drill, and using a jigsaw to cut out the shape needed.

brick wall paneling

Step 3. Attach the brick wall panels to the wall with liquid nails and then secured with nails (a brad nailer makes this super easy).

joint compound and scraper
joint compound on brick wall paneling

Step 4. Use joint compound and a plastic taping knife to spread joint compound over the brick wall panel.

This is where you get the faux brick look, there isn’t a ‘right’ or ‘perfect’ way to do this, basically just keep spreading until you get the look and texture that you like.

white brick wall

Step 5. Let dry for 24 hours, then sand with a 120 sanding block to take off any rough spots or large bumps.

sanding block over brick wall

Step 6. Whitewash the brick by making a wash of 1 part white paint and 1 part water and apply with a foam roller.

white wash paint roller over brick wall

That’s it!

Tape a step back and enjoy your faux brick wall! It has the beautiful texture and color of real brick with german schmear, for much cheaper.

How much did this joint compound brick wall cost?

Alright so here is the budget breakdown for this ‘brick wall’.

Before I get to the budget, I’ll give you the dimensions so you can get an idea of how much space this budget covered.

My wall was 138″ wide and 104″ tall. This is roughly 12′ x 8′. Because I’m doing built ins on the bottom half of the wall I didn’t need to add more brick to go all the way to the floor, the 8′ was enough.

Budget breakdown:

  • (3) 4’x 8′ brick wall panels – $120
  • liquid nails – $7
  • joint compound – $16

I had the rest of the materials such as tools and paint on hand so didn’t need to purchase any of that.

Which brings the total for my faux brick wall to $143.

Just for reference, there are some amazing interior brick resources that you can use such as Brick Webb, which are thin pieces of real brick. They run around $11.50 per square foot (not including grout etc.), so for my wall that would have been $1,104 in brick alone (vs. $120).

Now, if I had the budget I would go with the Brick Webb, I’m not at all saying that it isn’t worth it, but for this project and a room that my kids use that I found old pizza crust from who knows when in, the faux brick wall is just fine 🙂

I hope this gives you the courage to try and make a faux brick wall in your home!

This faux brick wall is made with joint compound and wall paneling, and when you're done with it, it looks like real german schmear.

Check out the other posts in this One Room Challenge game room makeover

Follow me on IG for the behind the scenes in stories!

Game Room Makeover: Fall One Room Challenge 2021 (Week 1)

DIY Home Decor, DIY Woodworking, One Room Challenge

I’m so excited to participate in the Fall One Room Challenge for 2021! I’ll be doing a game room makeover (and it will be ready just in time for Christmas). Included will be some much needed storage and organization and a handful of fun DIY projects.

This game room makeover is part of the One Room Challenge. It will include DIY building projects, wall treatment, and more! #oneroomchallenge #BHGORC #gameroommakeover #diyprojects

What’s the One Room Challenge?

The One Room Challenge happens twice a year in the Spring and the Fall, and is an online event where design influencers makeover entire rooms and document their progress on their blogs or on Instagram.

I’ll be participating here on my blog with weekly updates and projects throughout the 8 weeks, as well as in posting on my Instagram account. (If you aren’t following me on IG, head over and follow because I post almost daily on stories with tutorial and walk throughs of various projects).

I encourage you to check out the One Room Challenge site and browse the blog there as well, you will find so much inspiration from fellow designers and DIYers!

Game Room Makeover Plan and Budget

I know you’re probably ready to know what the space currently looks like and what my plan is! I can’t wait to add some functionality to this space.

This room was actually the location of my very first DIY project in this house, I made DIY Built-in Shelving for board games and baskets of kids toys.

However, the other side of the room is the video game and art display area, and it’s a disaster. I’m ready to tackle it and make the whole room complete!

Game Room Before

I feel like I need a disclaimer for this picture, I didn’t clean up the space because I wanted to show you how it looks on a ‘normal’ day. This will give you a sense of why I’m building the space that I am planning.

When planning out a project I make a bulleted list of what the space is used for, exactly what is currently being stored there, etc. This way, in my planning I can incorporate all of these into the build.

I know, it’s bad.

In taking inventory of this space, I need:

  • sufficient counter space for easy charging of consoles and controllers for video games
  • bins for video games
  • seating
  • art storage
  • artwork display
  • desk seating

And here is the wall opposite this one where I did the built in shelving.

Let’s make these two walls match a bit better!

New Game Room Makeover Design

I’m so excited about this new game room makeover design, it will add storage and functionality and will be really streamlined (and cool).

My kids are currently 6, 8 and 10 and my hope is that the design will carry them through the next handful of years of entertaining friends and hanging out together.

Game Room Design Mockup

This game room makeover is part of the One Room Challenge. It will include DIY building projects, wall treatment, and more!

The new plan will include a wall to wall built in for desk space and storage, along with artwork display and a ‘brick’ wall.

There will be a handful of DIY projects to tackle here to make this space pretty on a budget. Included will be:

  • DIY built in media console and desk
  • faux brick wall
  • DIY picture frame shelving
  • DIY faux marble countertop
  • (possibly an interior french door makeover)

I hope you join along the next 8 weeks to see the transformation of this room!

Game Room Makeover Budget

I’ll be honest I don’t love talking about money, but, I do know that part of hoping to inspire you to try DIY projects in your own home is giving you an idea of what things cost (and showing you how you can make a big impact on a budget).

So, here is the rough breakdown, and yes, I almost always go over budget so I know budget for extras that I don’t know about yet, ha!

  • unfinished wall cabinets = $310
  • faux brick panels = $115
  • joint compound/liquid nails/etc = $30
  • hardware = $20
  • plywood = $60
  • paint/epoxy/supplies = $50

Total = $585 (rounding up to $600 for small extras)

I’ll be doing this project over 8 weeks as part of the one room challenge, so this helps me break down the budget to spread to out over time as well!

Considering that if I had to have a 12′ console built for this space it would cost much more than that alone, this will be a budget friendly way to renovate this space!

This game room makeover is part of the One Room Challenge. It will include DIY building projects, wall treatment, and more!

Check out all of the posts in this series for progress

How to Paint a Brass Fireplace: Quick and Easy

DIY Home Decor

When we first moved into this house, one of the first DIY home projects that I knew would be quick and easy, but give me a big bang for my buck was painting the outdated, brass fireplace.

Check out how to paint a brass fireplace below, I promise you, it’s super easy. My number one recommendation with this project is to get the right spray paint. You are definitely going to want a high heat tolerant paint if painting a functional fireplace.

This quick and easy DIY tutorial will show you how to paint a brass fireplace. This will update your home immediately! #paintedfireplace #diyhomeprojects #DIYpaintprojects

How to Paint a Brass Fireplace

There are only a few materials for this easy project that you will need, again, pay attention to the type of spray paint you use!

Materials needed:

Grab what you need from Amazon!

What to do:

This quick and easy DIY tutorial will show you how to paint a brass fireplace. This will update your home immediately! #paintedfireplace #diyhomeprojects #DIYpaintprojects

Step 1. Prep the fireplace. I know this seems time consuming but trust me, you are not going to want to get spray paint on your surrounding materials, especially if they are porous like stone or brick. The glass will be more forgiving (see why below).

Thoroughly wash the brass with soap and water to cleanse of any residue and let dry completely.

Prep the space by cutting brown craft paper to size of the glass panels and then large sections to cover the material on the outside of the fireplace.

Tape the paper in place keeping the edge of the tape along the edges of the brass fireplace.

This quick and easy DIY tutorial will show you how to paint a brass fireplace. This will update your home immediately! #paintedfireplace #diyhomeprojects #DIYpaintprojects

Step 2. Use your high heat spray paint to completely cover the brass fireplace.

*Tip: when using spray paint, make short light ‘strokes’ with the sprayer across the surface. This will keep the paint from pooling, resulting in drip marks down your fireplace.

Repeat this process resulting in two coats of the high heat spray paint.

Step 3. Once dry (it will dry quickly) remove all of the tape and the paper from the area. If any spray paint gets on the glass panes, simply take a razor blade and scrape the paint off, it’s like magic!

This quick and easy DIY tutorial will show you how to paint a brass fireplace. This will update your home immediately! #paintedfireplace #diyhomeprojects #DIYpaintprojects

Enjoy your newly painted brass fireplace

You will be amazed at just how much this simple DIY can really modernize and transform your space!

This quick and easy DIY tutorial will show you how to paint a brass fireplace. This will update your home immediately! #paintedfireplace #diyhomeprojects #DIYpaintprojects

Don’t get me wrong, I love a well-placed gold accent in most of my projects, like when I painted this DIY Wall Sconce from a Table Lamp gold, but the brass fireplace is not one of my favorite looks. A classic matte black however looks really updated and sleek. Enjoy your painted fireplace!

More Simple DIYs for your Home:

DIY Wall Sconce from a Table Lamp

DIY Home Decor, Wall Decor

A DIY wall sconce can be a great way to get some bang for your buck when decorating a space. After building the DIY built-in shelving, the side of the unit was begging for a wall sconce. Here is a great way to turn a basic desk lamp into a gorgeous wall sconce.

What a fun and beautiful DIY Home Project to work on that will be functional too!

…
Read More
DIY Neon Sign DIY Mudroom Build Faux Marble Countertop with Epoxy
DIY Neon Sign DIY Mudroom Build Faux Marble Countertop with Epoxy