# Revamping a Horrid Electric Fireplace **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510 "2012-01-14T17:01:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/1 "2012-01-14T17:01:04Z")
Help! My husband just bought this awful plywood and faux marble electric fireplace and stuck in the room of the house in which I spend the most time. Seriously, it’s disgusting. The “fire” is some plastic logs with a red lightbulb and some tinsel. Yes, tinsel. There has to be something I can do to this thing to make it look nicer. As it is now, our home ,which I am in charge of decorating, was looking very nice and my husband agreed. Now this fireplace is marring my home’s image. I am too embarrassed to have anyone see this thing. Any suggestions for a revamp? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/2 "2012-01-14T17:14:20Z")
Why not return it? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/3 "2012-01-14T17:17:25Z")
garbage can. Then put a bookshelf in where he stuck it and load it with books and tell him to keep his hands off. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/4 "2012-01-14T18:54:47Z")
Any chance it’s a practical joke? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/5 "2012-01-14T19:21:57Z")
Maybe it was a major award. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/6 "2012-01-14T19:22:57Z")
take an mp3 player and connect to computer speakers and play some fireplace audio. remove tinsel and red light bulb. replace with some red flashing bulb or LED xmas light string. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/7 "2012-01-14T19:58:31Z")
Pics? Paint the whole thing, including the “marble.” Or, cover the marble with real tile (there are lots of nice, cheap options at Lowes and Home Depot, and if you get small ones you should be able to get away without cutting any). Remove the electronic components and tinsle, and replace with candles. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/8 "2012-01-14T22:45:24Z")
[sub](Minor housekeeping note: reported for forum change.)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/9 "2012-01-14T23:58:09Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/10 "2012-01-15T00:13:21Z")
If you need it for the heat, maybe you can screen the offending part with a piece of opaque glass or stained glass- you could get a warm diffuse glow through it, rather than the horror you are currently looking at. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/11 "2012-01-15T00:42:12Z")
Do you know why he bought it? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/12 "2012-01-15T01:40:02Z")
Buy an HDTV that just fits the opening. Go to youtube and search for Yule Log videos. Download and play them in your new fireplace. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/13 "2012-01-15T02:44:48Z")
Put it in the back yard and light it on fire. It is, after all, a “fireplace”. Just Add Fire. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/14 "2012-01-15T02:51:27Z")
He just bought it? Then you return it. No point in wasting the money. If that won’t work, does he have a man cave to offset your room? If so, move the “fireplace” in there along with his other tacky man-decorations; the neon PBR sign, the jackelope, the dog-eared Swedish Bikini Team poster, and the rotting Barcalounger(s). ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/15 "2012-01-15T07:43:30Z")
Rewire the unit to 220v so that all power surges directly to anyone touching the “On” switch. When you begin dating again, after you’re released from prison, one of your screening questions might be, “How do you feel about electric fireplaces?” ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/16 "2012-01-18T16:01:44Z")
WE SOLD IT!! YAY!! This is why I married him. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revamping-a-horrid-electric-fireplace/609510/17 "2012-01-18T16:19:48Z")
Thanks for coming back to update us. We always wonder what happens to our “advice”, such as it is.