3d do-it-yourself electric fireplaces with steam. Imitation of fire in the fireplace with your own hands, available options. Materials and tools

Initially, the fireplace in the house was intended primarily for heating. Nowadays, city dwellers are saved from the cold by central heating. At the same time, the fireplace is still associated with home comfort, a place for rest and relaxation. Therefore, in modern interior I want to get my own hearth, but only for the sake of beauty. For this, a false fireplace is erected, in which fire is present as heat for the soul, and not for the body.

You can make a home decorative portal yourself or involve a specialist, or you can purchase a ready-made dummy. It all depends on your desires and capabilities. To create a full-fledged decoration, it is necessary to pay attention to the main attribute of the fireplace - fire. Naturally, a real flame is not possible for every fireplace. But anyone can create an imitation of fire on their own.

Types of decorative fireplaces

There is a large selection of ready-made portals on the market. Do you prefer ready-made version or if you want to do it yourself - decide for yourself. Before that, familiarize yourself with the features of each type.

The most democratic option is a portal made of cardboard and polystyrene. They are easy to make and affordable. Do-it-yourself imitation of fire in a fireplace is permissible only from sources without a flame as such. Such materials ignite easily and require careful handling. Consider one more feature of cardboard and polystyrene - they will not withstand heavy objects. Therefore, all decorative attributes should be extremely light.
It is not difficult to build a drywall fireplace. The material is easy to process and affordable. Its feature is fire resistance, so candles can be easily placed in it. But, like the previous types, drywall does not withstand heavy loads.
Plywood is good for ease of use, unique in its naturalness and environmental friendliness. It is important to know that this material does not like moisture.
brick and stone aesthetically beautiful materials that will last for a long time. When creating a hearth of a fireplace, elementary skills in laying bricks and stones will be required. You will have to pledge big budget for construction. In addition, the final work can be quite weighty and not every floor in a high-rise building will withstand construction.

Create a hearth

The fake fireplace is not designed to heat the room. For such a function, there are special electronic centers of the most different sizes, forms, materials. For those who need a fireplace as a design solution, decide on the type of fireplace and consider options for parodies of fire. Let's start with the simplest ones.

Fairy lights

You will need the garland itself, a source of energy and decorative ornaments to her in the form of logs. It is better that the lamps flicker yellow, orange and red.

Do-it-yourself lace branches will help to add a realistic effect. To create an unusual decoration you will need: tree branches, foil, lace, glue, stones.

We wrap the branches with foil without gaps, glue lace on top of the foil. Let dry for about a day. After, we cut and carefully take out the branches of the trees. We form a circle from the stones (if desired, the stones can be painted in any color), lay out a garland in the middle, and form the resulting lacy branches like a fire. Turn on the garland and the logs will sparkle with glimpses of fire colors. This is an amazingly simple and effective way to create a dummy fire in the fireplace.

Candles

You can use candlesticks, candelabra, or simply arrange large candles according to your design. We emphasize that this option is not suitable for every light fireplace, because flames can leave a black mark.

There is an interesting way to effectively supply candles in the fireplace. To do this, you need several medium neat logs. In each we cut out 2-3 recesses the size of a small candle in a metal stand. The result will be a sophisticated imitation of a fireplace fire with minimal cost finance and time.

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salt lamps

Special lamps made of salt crystals look great in a false fireplace. The salt lamp will be an interesting embodiment of a real fire in the fireplace. The main "minus" of such a design solution is the high cost. But there is a big "plus" - salt crystals will benefit the health of the whole family.

LCD screen

Putting a screen in a fireplace is quite an expensive decision. The main difficulty of such a replacement for a real fire is to install a screen. The image of the flame will elegantly dance and crackle soothingly in the fireplace portal.

To increase the effect of the fire burning on the screen, several mirrors placed in the hearth at different distances and at different angles will help. The screen image will perfectly imitate fire, and mirrors will create an illusory effect of a three-dimensional image.

prefer more interesting solutions your interior idea, then you have to make some efforts. Consider how to make the fire more realistic and bewitching with your own hands.

Cardboard or real wood stack with LED lamp and fabric fire

For self-manufacturing logs will need cardboard, glue, scissors, paint, brush. We form logs from cardboard, paint them in the color you like, lay them out in the form of a well and glue them together. A well made of real wood is created a little easier: we take prepared logs and glue them with building glue.

For fire, you will need an LED lamp socket that randomly flickers in different colors (it would be ideal to combine red and yellow colors), a ceiling light, a light, uniform, light fabric that transmits light, four strong wires from 15 to 30 cm long.

We push the ceiling and fix the woodpile on top, we fix the wire on the logs, and the other ends between each other. We fix the fabric on top of the wire. Turn on the LED and enjoy the resulting small fake fire

theatrical fire

A very effective type of artificial flame. For it you will need the following elements: a silent small fan, diodes of different colors (ideally red, yellow and blue flowers), a reflective surface (it can be fragments of a mirror, foil, etc.), shreds of silk of different sizes and shapes, a small box where we put everything.

The box should be decorated, then:

install a fan in it;
place the diodes next to each other;
attach the finished shreds next to the fan

The fire will turn out to be alive. It remains to place the box in the portal and enjoy beautiful view with a cup of aromatic tea in hand and in sincere company.

Aquarium as an imitation of fire

The play of water and light is always mesmerizing. You can use this successful ensemble in the fireplace instead of fire. Prepare the following devices: an aquarium of any shape and size (the main thing is that it fits in the hearth), LED Strip Light fiery color, water. Install the tape on the bottom of the aquarium, pour water into the aquarium. Decorate the design at your discretion with shells, tree branches, pebbles, glass, pebbles, etc.

Many people like to look at the fire in the fireplace. The sight of a flame calms, allows you to relax and immerse yourself in your own thoughts. However, it is not always possible to put a real fireplace in your home, it is especially problematic to do this for urban residents, whose stress level is very high and who, like no one else, needs effective way relaxation.

Fortunately, we can build a fake fireplace in our apartment, which will adequately replace the real one. At the same time, it can have a real fire if biofuel is used, or an imitation of fire in a fireplace, which you can also make yourself. In this article we will talk about how to make an imitation of fire in a fireplace with your own hands, we will analyze the most popular methods.

False fireplace with skillfully filled firebox

Available Options

A decorative false fireplace is created from various materials, you can use cardboard, gypsum, foam, drywall, plywood, chipboard and even brick. In most cases, these materials are combustible, so it is worth remembering the rules fire safety and do not place real fire in the furnaces. If you plan to build a biofireplace burner into the furnace, which will create a real flame, then the choice of materials for construction should be taken more seriously. For example, build a brick structure, sheathe the firebox with sheets of metal.

We will consider options when it is required to make an imitation of fire, which would be remotely or very similar to a real flame. And the simplest idea that immediately comes to mind is to create a suitable pattern. Anyone can draw a picture, but how this fire will look on canvas depends on the talent of the artist.

A painted hearth inside a fake fireplace

There are many other options to create an artificial fire in the fireplace so that it is more realistic than a painted one, and the most interesting of them are the following:

using a steam generator - modern way;
the use of fabric and a fan is a theatrical solution;
use of LCD displays, TVs - spectacular option;
original backlighting with a salt lamp is a useful technique;
lighting using garlands is a simple method;
the use of candles, a candle fireplace - a design approach.

If you want to create a quality imitation of fire in a fireplace, you can use any of the available options, but remember that each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. To understand which fire for a fireplace is easiest for you to make with your own hands, let's look at all these methods in order.

General description of popular methods

One of the most difficult ways is to create an artificial fire using the generated water vapor, and we will start with this method.

Steam

To create a steam plant inside your raised fireplace, you will need certain parts and electrical skills. You can search turnkey solution but it will be hard to find.

To build a steam generator, we need the following components:

small quiet fan
DMX controller and DMX decoder - devices that allow the transfer of digital data and balance the operation of all generator systems;
light-emitting diode lamp (LED);
fog generators operating on ultrasound;
pure water ;
matching box, boxing.

Installation scheme for creating an imitation of fire from steam

The principle of operation of the system for a couple is very simple. Fog generators are installed in a suitable box or box. Pure, distilled water is poured into them, which, under the influence of a fan and a generator of ultrasonic vibrations, begins to gradually evaporate. Note that the evaporation of water occurs at room temperature and the steam is cold. Rising steam from the evaporation of water is highlighted led lamp, and the effect of a real flame in the fireplace is obtained.

To make the fire look more realistic, a diaphragm should be installed over the entire structure. A diaphragm with holes of different diameters will allow you to vary the speed of the air around you, which means creating more realistic flames.

If we consider the ongoing processes more deeply, then we should recall Bernoulli's law, which tells us that the smaller the holes, the higher the speed of air flows.

Components are selected according to the main characteristics of the fireplace, at the same time, at the assembly stage, we plan the final result. You can buy such elements in stores that sell steam electric fireplaces, or in companies selling equipment for concerts, there are also steam engines here. The design diagram can be easily found on the Internet.

Professional steam installation

After assembling the elements together, we need to get a machine that works on the principle of cold glow, discussed above. Such an imitation of fire will be very impressive, very similar to a real flame. Pay attention to the dimensions of the system and the fireplace insert, they must match each other.

It is worth noting that professional technology Real Fire is based on this principle. The main device in such devices is an ultrasonic steam generator, designed specifically for use in a fireplace. It is he who creates steam, which is highlighted properly. The vapor density at the bottom is greater, which means it glows brighter, resembling a real flame. Higher up, the color becomes dimmer, allowing for a smoky effect.

Textile

The imitation of fire through fabric is actively used in theatrical productions, so this option can be proudly called "theatrical". For home use this method is also great, so we'll look at it.

To make an imitation of fire in a false fireplace with our own hands, we need:

some silk fabric white color;
halogen lamps with reflectors;
small but powerful fan, preferably quiet;
several color filters with primary colors of fire - red, orange, blue;
container or box for assembling all the elements together.

Using fabric to create artificial fire

The assembly of the system is simple, the following step-by-step instruction will help you with this:

We select a box that is suitable in size, decorate it from the outside in an appropriate way.
We place a fan in the box, a cooler that can be taken from the computer.
Above the fan we fix halogen lamps with colored filters, point them up. The distance from the filters to the lamps should be a couple of centimeters.
When placing color filters, we adhere to the following sequence - blue in the middle, and red and orange along the edges. With this arrangement, the fire of the fireplace will be bright, rich and natural.
We cut the silk fabric into various flaps, which we fix on the box on different sides of the fan. For realism to be high level, cut the silk into triangles.

That's all, the home-made imitation of fire in the fireplace is ready, it remains to run it by connecting the lamps and the fan to the network, and test it, and then finalize it. Scraps of fabric that imitate flames look very natural, but the main thing is that they are of the required length to fit in the firebox of a false fireplace.

TV

One of the easiest and most popular ways to make the fire in the fireplace almost real is to use a TV, tablet, photo frame or LCD display. The only thing that immediately repels you from the method using a liquid crystal screen is the price, because such a technique costs a certain amount of money.

You can save money by purchasing a display specially designed for this purpose. It is sold where decorative fireplaces with electric filling. The display already has a recording of real fire, you just have to install it and turn it on.

For greater realism, you can use optical systems of light filters. They will help to make the imitation more lively, saturated volumetric. It will be nice to admire such fire.

Decorative system for installation in an apartment

Another option to refine the lighting of the fireplace with your own hands is to use mirrors. It's called Pepper's Ghost and is used by many theaters and magicians. By placing mirrors on the walls of the furnace and its bottom at different angles, you can give the artificial flame some volume. In this form, your hearth will look like a real one.

The most subtle connoisseurs of beauty use holographic systems that create full-fledged 3D copies of fire. Modern technologies Allows you to convert a 2D image into a 3D image. Optical systems and LED lights, working together and properly tuned, are able to make the image very realistic in a small space. You can even make it so that the depth of the image is greater than the fireplace insert. This method is very impressive, but too expensive and unprofitable.

Salt lamp

Not only efficient but also useful method creating an imitation of fire in artificial fireplaces is the use of salt lamps. Such devices have recently appeared on the market, but are already in high demand due to their excellent characteristics and beneficial effects on the human body.

The salt lamp is made from big piece salt, in which a lamp with an ordinary light bulb is placed. During operation, the light bulb heats up and warms up the ceiling of salt, which begins to emit in environment negative ions. Connecting with positive ions, which are abundant inside our homes, because. they come from working home appliances, they neutralize them. Thus, a comfortable environment for human life is obtained, which you will certainly feel when you put a similar lamp at home.

A good option for a salt lamp for a fireplace

Installing a salt lamp in a fireplace is not difficult, but it will take some budget to purchase it. Choose a fireplace lamp with a matching color, or purchase several lamps at once to place them together in a bonfire.

Fairy lights

An interesting way to illuminate the fireplace insert is based on the use of garlands, conventional Christmas garlands that every family has. Of course, you will have to modify the garlands a little to make them look more realistic, but there are no particular difficulties here.

Garland in the form of a fire for a fireplace insert

To assemble a suitable design, you will need the following materials:

several small branches of trees;
food aluminium foil;
a small piece of lace or soft tissue white;
several real stones;
the garland itself, capable of twinkling and having a suitable color background e.g. yellow or red.

Creating an imitation of fire from a garland is as follows:

Tree branches are completely wrapped in foil. Lace is glued onto the resulting silver sticks. The drying time of the glue is about a day, so we wait until everything is securely connected. Now carefully cut the resulting lace case and take out the branches from it. Firewood imitation is ready.
We lay stones in a circle in the firebox of a false fireplace. In the resulting circle we place the selected garland, and on top of it we install impromptu lace firewood. The result is a small fire.

It remains only to plug the garland into the socket and enjoy the pleasant flickering of fire.

By the way, you can always use garlands with LEDs as lighting for the insides of the fireplace. Very original, cheap and simple.

This method will make it very easy to get a decent picture of the fire inside the fake fireplace, but you can do it even easier by placing candles in the firebox.

Candles

IN artificial fireplace it is not recommended to use real candles, and even more so to light them, so it is better to purchase small lamps in a similar shape and install them in the fireplace. If your dummy is made of brick, then it is quite possible to use the classic version.

Using candles to decorate a fireplace insert

The use of real candles when lit is not so popular, since they smoke when burned. If they are not lit, then there will be no flicker and light from the fireplace. At the same time, from a design point of view, such a design of a false fireplace is acceptable, since such a design creates an atmosphere of coziness and comfort.

If you decide to use candles to decorate the firebox, place other suitable decorative accessories around it, such as candelabra.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that it is not difficult to make an imitation of fire in your home fireplace, moreover, there is whole line ways from which you can choose the one that suits you. At the same time, the achieved result will certainly please you when you feel all the warmth, sincerity and beauty emanating from your fireplace.

Many people like to look at the fire. At the same time, not every person can afford to have a real fireplace in the house with a real flame in the hearth. But today, thanks to the presence of such material as drywall, you can make a decorative fireplace with your own hands.

But when everything installation work completed, the question arises of how you can create an imitation of a real fire in a fake fireplace. This article will tell you how to do it yourself different ways.

A decorative fireplace made of plasterboard requires compliance with fire safety standards, since this design not designed for real fire. In addition, the apartment completely lacks the possibility of assembling a real fireplace.
But a fireplace, even if it is decorative, requires imitation of a real fire. You can do it yourself in several ways. The most commonly used in this situation is the following imitation:

ferry;
creation of "theatrical fire";
use of salt lamps;
imitation of fire with a Christmas tree garland;
installation in the center of the TV;
use of candles.

Let's take a closer look at each of these options.

Steam instead of fire

Ferry simulation

This method is considered the most difficult way to simulate fire in a decorative fireplace with your own hands. Not every person can make such an imitation, since it requires a specific set of components and equipment, as well as electrician skills.

To create this kind of fire, you will need the following components:

special DMX controller;
fan with a diameter of 90 mm;
LED RGB lamp;
DMX decoder;
three pieces of ultrasonic fog generators.

These components can be selected according to the parameters of the fireplace you have, as well as the manufacturer and characteristics. It all depends on what end result you want to get.
All these components are included in the equipment for steam electric fireplaces, as well as concert devices for creating a steam effect.
At correct connection components, you can create an imitation of the type of cold glow, which allows you to create an indistinguishable
from a real game of fire. If you plan to use this particular type of fire simulation, it is important to provide the necessary equipment parameters and mount the hearth of the right size.
The principle of operation of this installation is as follows:

at the bottom of the container in which the water will be poured, put assembled generator fog;
This generator is equipped with a membrane that vibrates at a certain ultrasonic frequency, thus creating a reduced pressure. The result is an almost vacuum;
due to this, water evaporates at room temperature;
then cold steam, with the help of a fan, rises to the top;
at the top it is illuminated by an installed LED - lamp;
we put a diaphragm over this whole structure;

Note! Near the diaphragm, Bernoulli's law works. According to him, the speed of air movement near the hole increases the more, the smaller the hole was. Therefore, the simulation of the flame takes on a more realistic look. You can try different apertures to get the most desired simulation result.

The assembly of such equipment can be carried out according to this scheme.

Scheme

Proper assembly of components will allow you to make the most realistic imitation of fire with your own hands in a decorative fireplace.

"Theatrical" version

As the name implies, this imitation is most often used in various theatrical productions. But it is also good for making an imitation of a flame in a false fireplace.

"Theatrical" imitation

To make such an imitation with your own hands, you will need the following components:

a piece of light white silk;
three halogen lamps with reflectors;
quiet and large fan;
three color filters. It is necessary to take red, orange and blue filters;
a box or a special bowl for assembling an imitation structure.

When all the necessary components are available, we proceed to assemble the false fire according to the following scheme:

install a fan on the bottom of the box / bowl;
the cord from it is brought out;
then we fix halogen lamps above it in one axis. They must give light upwards;
further, at a distance of 2 cm above the halogen lamps, we install light filters;

Note! We fix the light filters as follows: blue in the middle, and orange and red along the edges. Placing filters in this way will give the simulation more brightness and relief.

Installation of filters

from the prepared shred we cut pieces of fabric of different sizes. best form considered triangles. They will give the flame more realism;
we attach pieces of fabric to the box / bowl along the edges of the fan.

When connecting a fan to electrical network you will have an artificial fire in the fireplace.
This method is easy to implement and allows you to create an almost real flame in the fireplace.

Salt lamp

The use of salt lamps in decorative fireplaces to create an artificial flame is considered the most useful and effective way.

Salt lamp

The salt lamp is a special lamp, the ceiling of which is made of raw salt crystal. Inside such a ceiling is a standard light bulb. When the lamp is connected, the ceiling heats up and begins to emit negative ions into the air. They bind positive ions (come from household appliances), which negatively affect the human body, thereby contributing to a better well-being of all households.
The disadvantages of this method include the rather high cost of salt lamps, and the advantages are ease of installation.
Using shades of different colors, you can effectively and very easily make an artificial fire in the fireplace with your own hands. In addition, using several lamps of various sizes at once, you can create an imitation of a fire.

Christmas garlands

Branch preparation

All people love New Year. Therefore, each person in the house has more than one Christmas tree garland. But few people know that with its help you can easily and quickly make an artificial fire in a decorative fireplace with your own hands. Therefore, this method is considered one of the simplest and most effective. Moreover, anyone can handle it, and at a cost it will be very cheap.
To make the flame look like a real one, you will need the following materials:

tree branches of various sizes;
aluminium foil;
lace. It is quite possible to cut it off from an old dress;
stones (several pieces);
glue;
Christmas tree garland having a color background in red, orange or yellow. The best solution will use a twinkling garland.

The simulation structure is assembled as follows:

wrap branches with foil without gaps;
coat the lace with glue and attach to the branches. Next, wait until they are completely dry;

Note! It will take about a day for it to dry completely.

then you should carefully cut the lace case and remove the blanks from them;
after that, in the hearth of stones, we lay out the stones in a circle;
in the middle of the resulting circle we put a garland, and bring the cord with a plug out;
we put the resulting "lace" firewood in the manner of a fire.

Stages of forming a fire

We plug the garland into the socket and enjoy the imitation of fire!
As you can see, this method is very simple to implement and will cost you much less than all other methods.

TV as a fireplace

TV in the fireplace

Another simple method to implement artificial fire in a fireplace is to use a flat LCD TV. But this method will be very costly, since such a technique is not cheap.
There are special TVs designed to be built into decorative fireplaces. They have a recording with fire, which is played in the hearth of the fireplace.

Sometimes a TV can be supplemented with a special optical system, which consists of light filters. With its help, the image of the flame will become more expressive and voluminous.
In addition to this optical system, a system of mirrors can be used. They are located at the corners of the focus, thereby making the image more voluminous.
In rare cases, you can also use holographic installations. But this is not a very cost effective way.

Candles and romance

The easiest, but also the most dangerous way to create the illusion of fire in a decorative fireplace is to use ordinary lighted candles.

Candles in the fireplace

But here it should be remembered that sheathing the fireplace should be drywall sheets with flame retardant properties. This will minimize the risk of fire.
Among other things, candles will be smoked, which makes this method less popular than all of the above.
This method is considered one of design solutions giving the room romance and fabulousness. In this situation, candles can be placed individually around the perimeter of the hearth, or placed on a low candelabra.
As you can see, imitation of a flame in a decorative fireplace with your own hands is possible in a variety of ways. You will only have to choose the most suitable option for yourself, implement it correctly (if it is difficult to implement) and enjoy a decorative fireplace even in an apartment.

Initially, the fireplace in the house performed an exclusively heating function, and only after that the role of decorating the interior. Today, the system is used as the main source of heating in an apartment or house. central heating. That is why, many began to give preference not to the classic solid fuel stove, but to a more modern variation called a false fireplace. Such models can be bought or made with your own hands from improvised means, as they have an exclusively decorative function.

The fireplace, the imitation of which takes place, can be assembled and designed by the hands of an experienced professional who will be able to recreate the necessary image, according to all the wishes and preferences of the customer. imitation of fire in the hearth of such a portal can be done in various ways, in this case a real flame is almost never used.

Main varieties

Before installing an artificial fireplace in a house or apartment, it is first of all recommended to familiarize yourself with the main varieties and variations that you can either assemble with your own hands or meet in specialized stores:

Simulation of fire in the fireplace can be composed and reproduced without fire sources, environmentally friendly and durable materials. You can assemble a portal from drywall or polystyrene with your own hands at home. Such materials are affordable and easy to use. To work with them, you do not need an expensive and professional tool. Ready product will have a small weight, which is extremely important, especially when installed in an apartment or on the second floor of a private house. Such a false fireplace, due to its small mass, should not be decorated and decorated with heavy objects and purchased fireboxes. Drywall is heat resistant, which in turn allows you to decorate its hearth and shelves with candles. A fireplace with candles looks very elegant and charming;
A fireplace, an apartment with which will look original, can be assembled from plywood. The plywood fireplace portal is budget-friendly. However, it is not very stable and reliable. A plywood fireplace requires high-quality surface protection, as the material quickly absorbs moisture, swells and deforms. The advantages include environmental friendliness and naturalness of the material;
A fireplace, stone or brick for which they serve as the basis, will be more reliable and as refractory as possible. These materials hold up well. high temperatures, their sharp drops, differ in durability and durability. Particularly large and bulky fireplace portals may require the construction of a foundation. The price of a brick fireplace is quite high, and the construction is time-consuming. However, if desired, you can install an electric fireplace in such a portal. Because the cost natural stone high enough, the cladding of the portal can be done with artificial minerals.

Creating a hearth

A decorative fireplace can be decorated with a garland. Such a garland fits both in the hearth, and can be located along its perimeter, or in a chaotic manner. It is recommended to select garlands with traditional classic colors of burning lamps. To give an imitation of a fire burning in the hearth, you can add ceramic logs to the hearth.

You can add a false fireplace with the help of tree branches. You can arrange them in any way. As an option: wrap the branches with foil and lace, then fix various stones, shells and other decor on the glue. At the end, you will get lacy branches, which can be placed both completely apart and in vases.

Lace can be located both along the length of the entire branch, and only in a certain area, gap. After gluing, it is necessary to allow the product to dry completely and only after that, use the decor to decorate the false fireplace. If desired, such branches can also be painted or supplemented with sparkles. Alternatively, put them in the hearth and light them up with an LED garland.

You can also use candles for decoration. They can be located separately or located in various openwork candlesticks, candelabra. Install them inside the hearth or a mantelpiece can also be added. You should not place candles in white, beige, cream-colored stone, as during the operation of the decor, ugly black marks and prints from candles will remain on the surface of the portal and in the hearth.

Imitation of fire in a fireplace can be done with one very interesting way. At the exit you will get a fireplace with candles. To do this, find 2-3 beautiful logs correct form and cut 2-3 holes in each of them. In the resulting holes, lower one candle at a time. It is important that the candles are in candlesticks or in special protective frames. This will prevent the logs from catching fire during the burning of candles.

As a more expensive option, you can decorate the fireplace hearth with a salt lamp. Such a device will look stylish and impressive. The disadvantages include a fairly high cost. The main advantages are the health benefits of salts, the creation of a cozy atmosphere in a house or apartment.

An electric fireplace can also perform an exclusively decorative function. It can be equipped with a steam generator and even a humidifier!

Modern technologies and fresh solutions

An electric fireplace is a live fire - this is the most realistic means for simulating a flame. In this case, imitation is performed using modern technologies, namely an LCD screen with a three-dimensional and high-quality picture and animation.

To make any flame more voluminous and spectacular, you can install several large mirrors opposite and on the sides of the hearth, at a slight inclination. A fireplace with a mirror will create the illusion that the fire is real. You can also install mirrors in the hearth itself.

If you like to create different things with your own hands and want to get best result, we recommend building an imitation of logs. For this we need decorative firewood, LED garland or lamp, fabric and a number of other improvised materials.

The basis of our firewood is cardboard. Each log needs to be cut out of cardboard and given volume, glued together. The surface can be painted with acrylic, gouache or watercolor to choose from, and then let the firewood dry. Firewood is glued together in the form of a well and placed in the hearth. If desired, such cardboard logs can be replaced with real ones. In this case, construction adhesive is used for gluing.

To create volume and characteristic shades, you need to buy an LED lamp in advance, which will flicker in various shades. It is recommended to give preference to the characteristic color spectrum - yellow, red, orange. A translucent white fabric is used as a ceiling lamp, and the frame is constructed from four strong wires, the length of which will be 150-300 millimeters.

The light bulb is fixed inside the hearth, directly above the imitation. The wire frame is installed in the center of the well and is complemented by a translucent fabric. When turned on, a fairly realistic effect of a flame burning in the hearth will be created.

Realistic simulations

One of the most realistic options for creating an imitation is the so-called fire box. To create this effect, you need to buy LED bulbs, preferably red, yellow and blue. As a reflective surface, you can choose small mirror, foil. Also, for this effect, you will need a fabric or its scraps (silk). The so-called fire will be placed in a box.

At the first stage, we decorate the base (box) itself, after which we act according to the following step-by-step guide:

We put the fan in the box;
LED bulbs are located and fixed near each other;
The space near the fan is supplemented with patches.

Such a box with fire is placed inside fireplace portal and allows you to reproduce a fairly realistic effect.

You can also simulate using an aquarium. In more detail, you will need to prepare an aquarium of such a size that it can be installed in the hearth. After that, a garland with LEDs is placed and fixed inside the aquarium, the container is filled with water. When you turn on the garland, the effect of blazing water will be created, which looks very original.

The interior of the aquarium can be decorated with shells, stones, algae and other elements of your choice.

The category of the most realistic and difficult to implement variations includes the creation of the illusion of a flame burning in the hearth with the help of steam. To generate steam, you will need to buy 2-3 fog generating devices (ultrasonic).

You will also need to prepare a fan, a reservoir into which water will be poured, a frame to accommodate the simulation and an RGB lamp.

Fog generating devices are installed in the inside of the box along with a fan, then we place lamps, and we install a prepared reservoir for pouring water on the generators. This effect is very realistic, but at the same time its recreation is quite expensive.

The fireplace in the interior of your apartment for the home will become a real hearth and fill the living room, bedroom with comfort. The outdoor fireplace can be both wall-mounted and island, corner, depending on your wishes and preferences. The false hearth is quite easy to install, it has small dimensions and optimal weight, and some models can be moved from place to place. To simulate a flame, you will need mostly inexpensive improvised materials, and the design itself does not require the construction of an additional foundation and a chimney.

Such home will allow you to arrange cozy family evenings with friends and relatives over a cup of warm tea.

In this video clip, you can see what an imitation of fire in a fireplace looks like with your own hands:

Many people like to look at the fire in the fireplace. The sight of a flame calms, allows you to relax and immerse yourself in your own thoughts. However, it is not always possible to put a real fireplace in your home, it is especially problematic to do this for city dwellers, whose stress level is very high and who, like no one else, need an effective way to relax.

Fortunately, we can build a fake fireplace in our apartment, which will adequately replace a real analogue. At the same time, it can have a real fire if biofuel is used, or an imitation of fire in a fireplace, which you can also make yourself. In this article we will talk about how to make an imitation of fire in a fireplace with our own hands, we will analyze the most popular methods.

False fireplace with skillfully filled firebox

Available Options

A decorative false fireplace is created from various materials, you can use cardboard, gypsum, polystyrene, drywall, plywood, chipboard and even brick. In most cases, these materials are combustible, so it is worth remembering the fire safety standards and not placing real fire in the furnaces. If you plan to build a biofireplace burner into the furnace, which will create a real flame, then the choice of materials for construction should be taken more seriously. For example, build a brick structure, sheathe the furnace with sheets of metal.

A painted hearth inside a fake fireplace

There are many other options to create an artificial fire in the fireplace so that it is more realistic than a painted one, and the most interesting of them are the following:

using a steam generator is a modern way;
the use of fabric and a fan is a theatrical solution;
the use of LCD displays, TVs - a spectacular option;
original backlighting with a salt lamp is a useful technique;
lighting using garlands is a simple method;
the use of candles, a candle fireplace - a design approach.

General description of popular methods

One of the most difficult ways is to create an artificial fire using the generated water vapor, and we will start with this method.

Steam

To create a steam plant inside your raised fireplace, you will need certain parts and electrical skills. You can look for a ready-made solution, but it will be difficult to find it.

To build a steam generator, we need the following components:

small quiet fan
DMX controller and DMX decoder - devices that allow the transfer of digital data and balance the operation of all generator systems;
light-emitting diode lamp (LED);
fog generators operating on ultrasound;
pure water;
matching box, boxing.

Installation scheme for creating an imitation of fire from steam

The principle of operation of the system for a couple is very simple. Fog generators are installed in a suitable box or box. Pure, distilled water is poured into them, which, under the influence of a fan and a generator of ultrasonic vibrations, begins to gradually evaporate. Note that the evaporation of water occurs at room temperature, and the vapor itself is cold. The rising steam from the evaporation of water is illuminated by an LED lamp, and the effect of a real flame in the fireplace is obtained.

To make the fire look more realistic, a diaphragm should be installed over the entire structure. A diaphragm with holes of different diameters will allow you to vary the speed of the air around you, which means creating more realistic flames.

If we consider the ongoing processes more deeply, then we should recall Bernoulli's law, which tells us that the smaller the holes, the higher the speed of air flows.

Professional steam installation

It should be noted that Real Fire professional technologies are based on this principle. The main device in such devices is an ultrasonic steam generator, designed specifically for use in a fireplace. It is he who creates steam, which is highlighted properly. The vapor density at the bottom is greater, which means it glows brighter, resembling a real flame. Higher up, the color becomes dimmer, allowing for a smoky effect.

Textile

The imitation of fire through fabric is actively used in theatrical productions, so this option can be proudly called "theatrical". For home use, this method is also great, so we will consider it.

To make an imitation of fire in a false fireplace with our own hands, we need:

some white silk fabric;
halogen lamps with reflectors;
a small but powerful fan, preferably quiet;
several color filters with primary colors of fire - red, orange, blue;
container or box for assembling all the elements together.

Using fabric to create artificial fire

The assembly of the system is simple, the following step-by-step instructions will help you with this:

We select a box that is suitable in size, decorate it from the outside in an appropriate way.
We place a fan in the box, a cooler that can be taken from the computer.
Above the fan we fix halogen lamps with colored filters, point them up. The distance from the filters to the lamps should be a couple of centimeters.
When placing color filters, we adhere to the following sequence - blue in the middle, and red and orange along the edges. With this arrangement, the fire of the fireplace will be bright, rich and natural.
We cut the silk fabric into various flaps, which we fix on the box on different sides of the fan. To make the realism at a high level, cut the silk into triangles.

TV

You can save money by purchasing a display specially designed for this purpose. It is sold in the same place as decorative fireplaces with electric filling. The display already has a recording of real fire, you just have to install it and turn it on.

For greater realism, you can use optical systems of light filters. They will help to make the imitation more lively, saturated volumetric. It will be nice to admire such fire.

Decorative system for installation in an apartment

The most subtle connoisseurs of beauty use holographic systems that create full-fledged 3D copies of fire. Modern technologies make it possible to transform a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional one. Optical systems and LED lights, working together and properly tuned, are able to make the image very realistic in a small space. You can even make it so that the depth of the image is greater than the fireplace insert. This method is very impressive, but too expensive and unprofitable.

Salt lamp

Not only effective, but also a useful method of creating an imitation of fire in artificial fireplaces is the use of salt lamps. Such devices have recently appeared on the market, but are already in high demand due to their excellent characteristics and beneficial effects on the human body.

A salt lamp is made from a large piece of salt, in which a lamp with an ordinary light bulb is placed. During operation, the light bulb heats up and warms up the ceiling of salt, which begins to emit negative ions into the environment. Connecting with positive ions, which are abundant inside our homes, because. they come from working home appliances, they neutralize them. Thus, a comfortable environment for human life is obtained, which you will certainly feel when you put a similar lamp at home.

A good option for a salt lamp for a fireplace

Fairy lights

An interesting way to illuminate the fireplace insert is based on the use of garlands, the usual New Year's garlands that every family has. Of course, you will have to modify the garlands a little to make them look more realistic, but there are no particular difficulties here.

Garland in the form of a fire for a fireplace insert

To assemble a suitable design, you will need the following materials:

several small branches of trees;
food aluminum foil;
a small piece of lace or soft white fabric;
several real stones;
glue;
the garland itself, capable of flickering and having a suitable color background, for example, yellow or red.

Creating an imitation of fire from a garland is as follows:

Tree branches are completely wrapped in foil. Lace is glued onto the resulting silver sticks. The drying time of the glue is about a day, so we wait until everything is securely connected. Now carefully cut the resulting lace case and take out the branches from it. Firewood imitation is ready.
We lay stones in a circle in the firebox of a false fireplace. In the resulting circle we place the selected garland, and on top of it we install impromptu lace firewood. The result is a small fire.

It remains only to plug the garland into the socket and enjoy the pleasant flickering of fire.

By the way, you can always use garlands with LEDs as lighting for the insides of the fireplace. Very original, cheap and simple.

This method will make it very easy to get a decent picture of the fire inside the fake fireplace, but you can do it even easier by placing candles in the firebox.

Candles

It is not recommended to use real candles in an artificial fireplace, let alone light them, so it is better to purchase small lamps in a similar shape and install them in the fireplace. If your dummy is made of brick, then it is quite possible to use the classic version.

Using candles to decorate a fireplace insert

If you decide to use candles to decorate the firebox, place other suitable decorative accessories around it, such as candelabra.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that it is not difficult to make an imitation of fire in your home fireplace, in addition, there are a number of ways from which you can choose the right one for yourself. At the same time, the achieved result will certainly please you when you feel all the warmth, sincerity and beauty emanating from your fireplace.