DIY - Do it yourself fireplace child guard
Our wonderful 8.5 month old Sofia has become a crawling race car with an untamed thirst for exploration. And so with the cold nights approaching we needed to child proof the fireplace. This however proved to be more difficult than would reasonably expect, I've checked the local Toys "R" Us, Walmart, and even a Canadian Tire with no success for a ready to use product.
Internet search was more fruitful and returned a few online stores one could order from, however in all honestly they didn't look too sturdy to me. So I build my own relatively quickly and inexpensively.
Materials needed is a privacy plastic lattice - the smallest hole pattern - a few screws and anchors; tools needed are a drill, and a handsaw if you don't have the lattice cut at the store - that’s it. The construction consits of screwing the lattice into the wall and the final product is easiest explained through following pictures.
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This is a great idea. I'm also looking for ideas on child-proofing my fireplace and I'm surprised at the lack of options. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAre you still able to use the fireplace with this lattice?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, that was the whole point of this project :).
DeleteWhere did you find this color lattice?
ReplyDeleteI got it at a RONA store.
DeleteAny advice for brick fireplace??
ReplyDeleteI personally would still drill between the brick into the mortar to ensure it's sturdy enough. When the guard is no longer needed I would then use color matched grout to fill in the holes.
DeleteLooks great! You didn't have any issue with it melting?
ReplyDeleteWas concerned about that too but there was no issues whatsoever.
DeleteHow did you measure the amount of lattice you would need?
ReplyDeleteI dry fit it then was going to cut it down but found full size piece worked best in my situation. If I had to try to measure I would use a piece of string laid in a convex pattern on the floor.
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