You can enhance the look of your fireplace with a custom-made fireplace mantel.
Materials:
Drill, with drill bits and a Phillips driver bit Hammer
Circular saw or table saw
Miter saw
Wood screws
Finish nails
1" x 12" boards
1" x 6" boards
2" x 4" boards cut into wedge-shaped blocks (90-degree triangles)
Fluted wood molding
Crown molding
Base-cap molding
Joint molding
- Install backing boards around the fireplace (figure A). You'll secure the mantel to these. Use a 1" by 12" board (figure B) for the top backing board, and attach it with screws to the studs behind the wall. If no studs are available, use toggle bolts.
- Use wood glue to attach fluted molding to the center of the upright backing boards (figure C). Secure the molding with finish nails or brads.
- Attach another 1" by 12" board directly above and flush with the outside edges of the fluted molding (figure D).
- Attach base molding to the bottom of the fluted molding (figure E), and attach base-cap molding to the top of the fluted molding (figure F). You can also add base-cap molding with mitered corners where the mantel meets the fireplace surround (figure G).
- Install joint molding 2 1/4" above the fluted molding (figure H) to break up the flat surface between the fireplace surround and the top of the mantel.
- Cut a 1" by 6" board to be used as a shelf, and nail it onto the 1" by 12" backing boards (figure I). Level the shelf, using wedge-shaped blocks (figure J), which also provide a sturdy surface to which crown molding can be nailed.
- Cut and assemble crown molding to be placed beneath the shelf of the mantel. Using finish nails, attach it to the wedge-shaped blocks, backing board and shelf (figure K).
- Attach the molding of your choice around the edge of mantel shelf (figure L).
- Finish the mantel by filling nail holes with wood putty. Sand the wood putty smooth, then stain or prime and paint the mantel to the color of your choice.
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