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Oh rest assured, it's all done now! I'll put a video link at the end of this for the finished product in a week or two.

Most of it held up well over the last 3 years. I have had to go back and touched up some of the cracks every spring since then. The cold joint between the deep end walls and the safety ledger on the deep end are always going to be an issue. Because of that, I don't think my pool was an ideal candidate for epoxy paint. Eventually will move to a vinyl liner again. The paint itself is fantastic.

I really just took the depth measurement from the front to the back, and then the height from the exterior of the top to the exterior of the bottom. Then I cut the end caps at 45° on the three sides.I would have done a couple of things different if I did this project again. I've done a couple of other floating shells with different methods with different levels of success.

Thank you. Minus all the thinking and planning, probably around 10 hours over a couple of days.

I also had some air bubbles form. Either from the surface being damp or air entrapment someway, maybe unbalanced epoxy mixing? I've only painted one pool, so I'm not a pro. But to get rid of the bumps, I can't imagine another way besides safely sanding it down to a smoother surface. I've chosen to live with some of the areas that are a little bit bumpy in my pool.

From my experience, the paint I used would not be sufficient to stop a leak from a crack, it doesn't fill holes or cracks well. I have used pool epoxy tube comes in a stick to successfully plug holes under water. I usually triage my leaks and start with the easiest solution first.

Before the epoxy paint, I ran a bead of anchoring epoxy around the entire pool where the cold joint would be. There is also a polyurethane flexible crack sealer that I think I would use next time also. I think it's made Sika? Found at Lowe's or home Depot.

Thank you. The depth is 7 inches.

Nope. I didn't know how a finish wood handle the heat from the fireplace. No problems with just the stain and heat at all. I like the dulll look for this project.

I first screwed in Hardie backer board. I then took the shiplap and generously glued it to the backer board and used a finishing nailer to secure the ends of the shiplap while it dried. Then either hid or filled the nail holes. Mostly glue on the bottom half of the wall though.

It may not be true all the time, but I think I agree with it in general. I think my circles of friends are smaller because I'm somewhat of an introvert:)

Oh yeah, it was a hot mess!

This fireplace is framed with non-combustible materials infront of an exhisting block/wall. The bottom of the fireplace exterior has fiber board (non-combustsible). Up at the top, the rest of the exterior is made of wood (combustible, but high enough to meet the specifications of the manufacturer). I followed the provided directions with the gas fireplace. They were very specific where combustible materials could be placed, even the hight versus width of the mantel. Thanks for watching! You can see the video of making the fireplace here czcams.com/video/YwMEWy5eSpI/video.html

Thanks for the comment. Please elaborate, I'm always up for safety tips. Is this because a scrap piece of wood has a higher chance of slipping than a legitimate push stick?

​@figuringitout9956 Seeing OP didn't reply, the reason you shouldn't use a stick like that is simply a lack of grip. The chance of slipping on the wood or in you hand is much higher. There is also less pressure transferred to the workplace which makes it more dangerous.

Glad to hear. Thanks for watching!

Thanks! Here it is. You can find it several places online. www.lowes.com/pd/Legrand-2-Gang-White-Plastic-New-Work-Old-Work-Standard-Rectangular-Wall-Electrical-Box/50110952?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-elc-_-ggl-_-LIA_ELC_204_Surge-Safety-Multimedia-_-50110952-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp96YNKBpdr3QIu3d-LtTjZ7hgvcpgP8AN8S8IiRKQSda4NvmRVuomM8aAsbYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

You are the only viewer so far who caught that possible fire hazard. We ended up not hanging stockings on that mantle. Now that you say it, I wonder if any stockings should be hung over sent active fireplace? Cheers!

Thank you, appreciate that.

That's pretty impressive!

It's 3 1/2 in high ( 1 by 4). I used maple for the cool grain pattern and ease of staining, but I wasn't paying attention when selecting the wood. The grain pattern in front looks a little like oak. I think I'd probably try aspen the next time. Good luck with your project!

1 X 4 for the front and sides, 6 ft. length served my purposes. For the top and bottom I used a 1 X 8 and trimmed it down to 7 in. wide to meet the requirements for the gas insert below. I was going for a less-beefy looking mantel. It was quite a rewarding project. If you try it, best wishes!

@@figuringitout9956 Thank you for the reply. Just finishing up the electric fireplace wall adding shiplap and will be building the mantle with similar dimensions as yours.

8.5 now! Wowza!