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Interior stylist Chad Burton turned a $50 Facebook Marketplace mantel into the centerpiece of a living-room fireplace feature, making and sculpting the ceramic tiles himself. He mounted the tiled panel on plywood with heavy-duty Velcro so it can be removed if he and his husband move.
Interior stylist Chad Burton built a living-room fireplace feature around a $50 mantel he found on Facebook Marketplace, then made and sculpted the ceramic tiles at its center. As described in an Apartment Therapy before-and-after report, the tiled panel is attached to the wall with heavy-duty Velcro, allowing Burton and his husband to remove and keep the handmade work if they move.
Burton found the brown mantel after he and his husband, Burger, moved into their condo. It fit a narrow section of living-room wall between two openings leading to the kitchen and hallway. Burton first planned to make the openings into matching arches and painted the walls a brownish red, Benjamin Moore’s Coral Bells. The mantel gave him a focal point for the remaining wall space.
He had spent more than a year looking for an iron insert. While waiting, he placed a plywood arch in the center of the mantel, but said the arrangement felt temporary. After taking ceramics classes, he decided to make a ceramic center with sculpted details drawn from memories and figures meaningful to him and Burger, including astrological signs and symbols. The report does not give a total project cost; the $50 price refers to the mantel alone.
Burton glazed the tiles and completed a preliminary bisque firing. His ceramics instructor, Julie Moon, fired them again. The tiles shrank in the kiln, making measurements and spacing difficult. Burton added black and white square tiles around the perimeter to account for the reduced dimensions. He mounted and grouted the tiles on plywood, attached that panel to the wall with heavy-duty Velcro, and finished the edges with brass tile trim from The Home Depot.
A Removable Handmade Centerpiece
The project shows how a homeowner can build a distinctive fireplace feature around a secondhand architectural piece and personal craft work. In Burton’s case, the handmade tiles carry details tied to the couple, while the mantel anchors the design between the living room’s two openings. The report presents the project as a home makeover, rather than as a functional fireplace installation.
Its removable construction also addresses a practical concern for people who may move. Because Burton attached the tiled panel to plywood and fixed it to the wall with Velcro, he says he can take the tiles with him. The arrangement separates the portable artwork from the rest of the feature, which includes the marble fireplace and plywood arch. The account does not specify whether the fireplace itself is operational.
The process also illustrates a material constraint of ceramic work: tiles can shrink during firing. Burton’s use of border tiles helped fill the space after shrinkage, though the article does not provide dimensions or a step-by-step guide. His project is an example of one approach, not a tested set of instructions for reproducing the installation.
removable wall-mounted ceramic tile panel
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From Temporary Arch to Tile Panel
When Burton and Burger moved into the condo, the living room included a short stretch of wall between rectangular openings to other parts of the home. Burton said he quickly decided to arch the two openings and make them equal in size. He painted the walls a deep red-brown before finding a mantel that fit between them.
The mantel came from Facebook Marketplace, and Burton arranged for a courier to deliver it. He enlisted friends to help carry and position it because it was heavy. While he searched for an iron insert, he used a cut plywood arch at the center. The report says he had been looking for the insert for more than a year; it does not say whether he eventually found or installed one.
Burton’s ceramic classes shaped the next phase of the project. He said his earlier work had consisted of larger, single pieces, while this project required carving small, detailed elements. The tiles were designed around personal imagery rather than a uniform commercial pattern. Their handmade character also meant the glazes did not match perfectly after firing.
““I was hunting for an iron insert for over a year.””
— Chad Burton, as quoted by Apartment Therapy
Project Costs and Fireplace Function
The report identifies the mantel’s price as $50, but gives no total budget for the tiles, plywood, trim, delivery or other materials. It also does not provide measurements, a timeline for making the tiles, or details about the wall and fireplace construction. The article describes a decorative makeover but does not confirm whether the fireplace has a working firebox or insert. Burton’s search for an iron insert is mentioned, while its outcome is not reported.
The Panel Can Move With Them
Burton said the removable mounting lets him and Burger keep the tiled panel if they sell the condo. The report does not name a sale or move date, or describe any planned follow-up to the project. For now, Burton said he had no regrets about the result, including the differences in glaze sheen between some tiles.
Key Questions
How much did the mantel cost?
Burton paid $50 for the brown mantel on Facebook Marketplace. Apartment Therapy did not report the full cost of the fireplace project.
Did Burton make the tiles himself?
Yes. Burton sculpted, glazed and completed a preliminary firing of the ceramic tiles. His ceramics instructor, Julie Moon, fired them again.
Can the handmade tiles be removed?
Burton mounted and grouted the tiles on a plywood panel, then attached the panel to the wall with heavy-duty Velcro. He said this would let him take the tiles if he and his husband move.
Is the fireplace operational?
The report does not confirm whether it works. Burton said he had been searching for an iron insert for more than a year, but the article does not say whether he found or installed one.
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