How to Modify A Stone Wall with Little Effort

Last week, I updated my post about how we transformed our small family room and created a focal wall with lots of storage. I wanted to share with you the update we did because the heater died. Rest in peace. We relocated the heater to the other wall because now it is vented to the outside. Fresh air in the space is wonderful and helps keep the air cleaner. We are so happy with it but then we had a huge hole in our stone wall. What to do what to do? Here's what it looked like before.

We really like the stone look but when we purchased it, we didn't have enough left over to finish this big opening. And, we didn't want to buy more because the color may be off and that area would work very obvious. So, this is what we did to correct this problem.

Tip: Being creative in your solutions. Take a little time and do some research to determine what you want for the opening. Check out Pinterest or HomeTalk to get some inspiration.

First, we measured the space (width, height, depth) and created the box using ½ inch pieces of high quality wood. Since we decided to stay it to match the mantel, we wanted to use a better quality wood. Here's the box.

We used ½ inch on the back of the box but you can use ¼ inch. To add the shelves (Affiliate Link), we screwed through the box into the sides of the shelves (Affiliate Link). Since the sides are hidden, you don't see the screws at all.

To attach the front to the box, we decided to use decorative nails to hold the skirt around the box.

Then, we dry fit it into the hole. It worked nicely. We then, took the photo to the home improvement store to match the stain.

After, picking up the stain, we puttied the nails.

Then, we got to work and stained the box. Doesn't it look great? I added a few coats of the stain to darken it and have it match the mantel.

We installed the box with screws to the studs in the hole wall opening. It covers the entire box and we were super excited not to see the hole anymore.

Now it's your turn. What do you think? How would you have solved this problem? Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

Please note the link above is affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link) and at no additional cost to you, I will receive affiliate fees if you click through and decide to make a purchase.