TV console turned DIY electric fireplace

Electric fireplace inserts aren’t as expensive as you might imagine. I found this fireplace at auction for next-to-nothing and upgraded it by repurposing a TV console into a DIY electric fireplace. You can do this with buffets, bookcases, sofa tables – just about anything really – to really bring some warmth (literal and figurative) into your room.

Happy Christmas Eve!

I can FINALLY share with you a project I was working on as a Christmas gift for my honey… an electric fireplace.

But not just any electric fireplace – this is one I DIY’d out of an old television console I picked up from Kijiji.

The thing with this build/DIY was that I found the electric fireplace insert at an auction prior to planning out what I was going to put it in. This made the search for a bookshelf, buffet or TV console a bit more difficult of a search because it had to fit the fireplace.

After searching for awhile I came across this beauty – or soon-to-be beauty.

The top had some scratches and scrapes, but nothing that a bit of sanding couldn’t take out.

The middle section of the console was more than big enough to fit my electric fireplace in both height and width – but the shelf and glass cupboards had to be removed.

I won’t bore you with the sanding, priming and painting portions – just know that I did do all of the refinishing steps.

I removed the glass doors and took out the upper shelf and used the wood from it to create the face frame for the electric fireplace.

This is the view from the back of the cabinet – the face frame pieces are held in place with 1 ¼” pocket screws into the existing frame of the console.

This is what it looks like from the front:

My measurements weren’t 100% accurate – but my honey calls errors “unexpected features” so that’s what we’ll call these. As an added bonus, you could very easily trim out the face frame with peel & stick tiles to give your DIY electric fireplace an even more custom look.

I’m not sure what the larger opening on the left was for previously? Maybe it was missing a shelf? Regardless, it’s a perfect size to house an x-box and a router with plenty of air space around it so nothing overheats.

This little electric fireplace is only 18″ wide, but it kicks out a LOT of heat.

A great place to store games and blankets, close to the couch and the Christmas tree.

All of the cords cables and contraptions (men and their toys am I right?) tuck behind the television and out of sight from the family room.

I left the back off of the centre section of the DIY fireplace so the cord could feed out, but also so that a power bar could be tucked in behind the fireplace and all of those cords and wires could be tucked inside instead of forcing the unit further forward from the wall. It worked out ideally really.

Because this was a gift for someone, I won’t reveal the prices for the parts and pieces – but trust me when I say it was considerably less than buying a new electric fireplace.

Considerably.