It's like having your own interior designer , life coach (and drinking buddy) for FREE. Although I was going for dark, I wanted to still see the wood grain to mimic the ceiling beams. Hope I inspired some of yall. Thank you! We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. if you cover that up, it's going to be way too gigantic. Finally, we cut the two small vertical pieces that would form the inner boxes. I hated the tones of this brick and the nasty bronze fireplace screen. Which, by the way, seems to blend in perfectly with the beams. A wood beam mantel is a great place to start. If it can't be removed easily, you can go right over it. Your email address will not be published. The lattice pieces are attached mostly with liquid nails but with a few nails in the corners just to make sure they would stay in place. We purchased pre-primed 1 x 4's and started by attaching the back board to the existing wall with our nail gun. (we did not do the middle support as everything seemed sturdy enough, so it's optional). We only used the thin pieces of lattice for the hearth, they looked too wimpy on the main surround, so we chose 1x2's for more dimension. Our living room has been completely transformed! This stuff completely seals the wood so that you don't ever need to worry about bleed-through. I was thinking of going over the actual fireplace with a creamier antique-y type of paint just to lessen the brightness and contrast of the fireplace, but overall I like it! Good luck..reach out if you need more help! I really dont want to mess up the stone by removing it. Add a support piece in the middle, then on both sides, by screwing wood screws through the pocket holes. Its all good, Im healthy, I have an amazing family, these are all little things that can be replaced. She did a gorgeous makeover of her fireplace last winter and I know she'll appreciate this one!http://myrepurposedlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/catch-as-catch-can-week-15-week-14.htmlNice job on it, btw. It was one of those things that we just needed to see in real life and not just on paper. This last piece of wood should fit nicely in between your two side pieces. We were constrained by what was already there, so we built to those dimensions. Isn't it beautiful though? During selections the man I was working with was texting on his phone and making calls and taking calls. They screwed the bathroom tiles. Finally, the front piece. A+++!!! You may want to watch a YouTube tutorial to learn how to miter the edges of crown, it's a little tricky. This allows seams to be hidden from the front. THANK YOU! Thanks for sharing. See an adaptation of this project in my 2017 holiday home tour. If you don't like the fireplace, remove it and don't try to work around it. So if you are confused by the different photos of this space, just know it was the same method- simply different stains. While this may feel like a daunting task, it truly is quite simple. Get instant access to this free guide to The Best Sources for Home Decor on a Budget! Click here for that separate tutorial. So sorry I couldnt be of more help. Thank you all for the advice everyone. In the end, we pretty much built this entire fireplace mantel and surround from scratch. Love it! Given it has been six years since I originally posted this tutorial, you must keep in mind that our living room has gone through several changes. https://www.fwmadebycarli.com/2011/01/making-of-slip-covered-mantel.html. The brick fireplace wall is jagged or slightly uneven, not flat or consistent. Eek! The keys to successful design are scale, balance and harmony. We also only have ceilings just over 7 feet, so the height has to be proportional to that. The bricks are larger in size, smoother in texture, and all one shade/color but the WORST offense this fireplace is committing is the large brick arch that sticks out on the front, and we have no idea what to do with it! It looks like it's been there forever. You did a great job. My husband and I just purchased our first home almost exactly a year ago (june 2015!) SO, we just butted the edges and figured some spackle and sanding would help hide the fuzzy raw edges of the MDF (note: they did! How did you attach the mantel to the brick? I really dislike it, I wanted a simple and more natural modern look. Same as I see in your pictures. No 45 degree angles needed again, since we knew the exposed sides would be covered by crown when we were done. Finally, cut the two small vertical pieces to form the inner boxes. Next came the dirty part - lots of grouting, cleaning, spackling, caulking and sanding. Build your own faux mantle with free diy plans from anawhite! Let me share with you how we (ok, so it was really just my husband. Great job!!! Wow Carli! The second method, in my opinion, is more secure. Is it load bearing enough to support a flat screen television? 2022 Barron Designs. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi, I'm Jenna, a busy mom of 3 boys, and the author & photographer here at JennaKateatHome.com. Cut side pieces to fit mantel width PLUS .75 height so that only one seam can be seen from side. Is the ceiling as low as it looks? the best part about it is that it's removable if she gets tired of it! The best way I can describe the arch, is that it's an extra layer of brick added to the front that surrounds the entire opening of the fireplace. Box the side columns in, using inch MDF. You've encouraged me to DIY it. We measured them to fit what already existed since the built-ins on either side preventing us from going any wider. My husband came up with this idea and acted like the length did not make a difference with stability, so I think it would be ok but don't take my word as I am no expert. Note: Although the end result came out great, if I were to do this again, I would miter the corners so that the wood fit together more seamlessly). Finally, all the seams were filled with caulk. When we were happy with the box, we attached a 1 x 8 pre-primed board to sit on top and form the actual mantel. Also, it's not what I considered to be traditional brick. There was a lot going on during the build, selling my home, starting a new job, my mom starting chemotherapy. Hey Missy! We attached the side pieces first, then nailed the front piece in. **UPDATED 2021**We recently installed new oak flooring throughout our home! What do you think about using white chalk paint and rubbing the wax on it to give it that vintage look? Would you do these same steps for a wall-to-wall mantel? I want mine a vintage white color. Laden with boughs, lights and even lemons, these decorated fireplace mantels show a festive Christmas spirit and a creative approach, Use these tips to create beautiful, welcoming decor that will enhance the focal point in your room, These 10 fireplace mantels show how a new coat of paint can create focal-point flair in your interior design, Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers, Outdoor Lighting & Audio/Visual Specialists, https://www.fwmadebycarli.com/2011/01/making-of-slip-covered-mantel.html, https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-to-make-wood-look-old, Guest Picks: 20 Finds for a Rustic Fall Mantel, 11 Ways to Update Your Kitchen Without a Sledgehammer, How to Fix a Mirror-Above-the-Mantel Dilemma, 9 Inventive Materials for Memorable Fireplace Mantels, 10 Unexpected Ways to Style a Gorgeous Fall Mantel, Houzz Call: Show Us Your Decorated Holiday Mantel. No 45 degree angles are needed, since the the exposed sides will be covered by crown when we were done. From choosing the right color wood, to what materials you may need, to how to install the beam, our how-to guide will walk you step-by-step through your DIY wood beam mantel project. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. How stable is your wood mantel cover as currently build? We're so happy with how it turned out and we very pleased that we DIYed the entire thing ourselves and saved a lot of $$ as a result! This was a learning experience for me. Because we already had a brick mantel, we decided to basically wrap the existing mantel in the common board. We purchased pre-primed 1 x 4's and started by attaching the back board to the existing wall with wood screws. Wood beam mantel diy fireplace makeover. Once the mantel was built, it was easy to figure out how far out we needed the build the rest of the surround. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. I hope it turns out well ! What shade is the furniture? We always do the perimeter boxes first and then full in with the little pieces. NOTE: We have built this same wood beam mantel twice now. [] upgraded with another cheap diy solution, head on over here) as we have established many. These pieces. Now that your mantel is installed and secured, allow it to set into place for a few hours before styling it with other decor. Well done girl! Check out our collection of real and faux wood beams below. Once you have decided on the style of wood beam mantel for your DIY project, it is time to gather the rest of the materials you will need for installation. I bet your friend loves her new space. I have an existing concrete mantle. 16 gauge finishing nails if you have a nail gun or 6D 1.5 finish nails with nail set. Whether you go with real or faux wood for your wood beam mantel, you will want to finalize the right color and texture selection. We attached some crown moulding the front using various YouTube tutorials to help us cut the mitered edges. I love it! The wrong garage door color and style was put in. What a great and quick way to add warmth plus cover the ugly brick mantle. mantel with a sort of slip cover. It almost looks as if the wood could slide over the brick 'mantle ' (before the front is attached that covers the brick mantle). Posted on Published: November 7, 2015 Categories DIY Projects, interior design, Modern Farmhouse. Honestly they screwed up a lot of things. Each mantel then undergoes a treatment process that actually strengthens the wood while giving the mantel the look of weathered wood. I was so proud of myself when I was done, because I was having some doubts! And dont forget to share the love and Pin my post! We started by boxing it out (top piece, bottom piece then left piece and right piece). Sign up to get FREE DIY hacks for the home-body-soul! Doing it that way makes the cuts a lot quicker. If you want to go larger for a more dramatic appearance, add more of a buffer to these measurements. Luckily, theres an easy DIY option for covering a mantle that is quick and easy for any homeowner. It looks like it is cemented into the stone, if that makes sense. I love that the stain matches the beams on the ceiling! Required fields are marked *. There are definitely ways to build a frame that floats on top/in front of it, in which you can remove once you are over it. Then FINALLY, after what seemed like an eternity and a whole lot of late nights, we installed the electric fireplace insert. Just the extra touch of warmth we needed. I would ask you what type of look you are after. Then add 1 x 4 pieces to the bottom of the vertical sides to create some depth and act almost like a piece of base crown. But now we're here. You could add rustic wood beams to the ceiling if it's high enough, or foam ones that look very realistic but are lighter in weight. The mantel itself is a very simple box. This DIY mantel makeover took only about 2 hours to complete and boydid it transform the entire look of our living room or what?! Re the floordark hardwood and an area rug or carpet. With real wood mantels, you are at the mercy of how the wood naturally looks, which can vary from mantel to mantel. How did you connect it to the exististing mantel? They did replace the garage door, but that was about it. At this point we decided to build our mantel before deciding how far out we wanted to build the surround. If so what would you recommend to fill gaps if any? As you may remember from thispostin order for me to finish my friends den, on my list of things to do was to build a beam styled mantel to mimic the wood beams that are on the ceiling of he den/family room.In order to do so, I had to come up with a plan to cover the old brick (?) Even though it fit on the front under the mantle top, we couldn't get the edges to meet, so we had to go down to a 3 inch piece. I need something that can be easily removed. In order to obtain the outer dimensions of the mantel size to order, you will want to: Add at least 2.5-3" to each height and width to account for the thickness of the material. Have you been looking to update it by modernizing it with a rustic wood beam? Once the mantel is built, it's easy to figure out how far to build out the rest of the surround. Thank you. I lightly sanded between each coat of primer to ensure that I was keeping the surface as smooth as possible. It would help to see the rest of the room as well as your furniture. If you are comfortable with the stone, I'd leave it and work around it. If you haven't already you can also see my plans for the fireplace makeover. With faux wood mantels, you have a lot more options to consider and can be more precise in your color matching and texture choices. He was extremely rude, I told them that I didnt wanna work with him anymore, but by that time the selections were made. Even better, it only cost around $30 and provided a dramatic impact. I love your blog! Living fabulously AF- on a budget. Oh wow. Next, I began to add some of the lattice pieces to the front of the hearth. When we took the old mantel shelf off we were left with a surface almost completely flush with the wall (one of the main reasons for this makeover). Try these wonderfully fresh ideas for a beautifully decorated mantel this autumn. If you are tiling, this step should be completed prior to tile being installed. How I Sold My House in 3 Days: Above List Price. BF, I am a straight forward person, I can own up to it when making a mistake. I also need to make a mantel like this for my fireplace. Love love the mantle, mine right now looks like its from 1970. You have done an amazing job. Hi Stacey! Hard to tell from your picture but it looks pretty flat there. No, we did not adhere the top. Houzz Pro: One simple solution for contractors and design pros. I am on board as a follower to see more.Mr. I can't wait to see more of the room! The sides came out perfectly smooth and painted like a dream!). Thanks Lisa! I'd take down the mirror & replace with art & remove everything but a few candles, just my thoughts:), Warm tones and nature-inspired accessories update your fireplace for fall, Give your kitchen a new look by making small improvements that have big impact, Do reindeer prance or lights dance above your fireplace during the holidays? Copyright 2021 Designing Vibes - Interior Design, DIY and LifestyleThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Nonetheless, all of these photos are the same damn fireplace! So what do you think? Our family room is the smallest living area in the house, with short ceilings because its under the second story, and it can get very dark and dreary in here, so having this huge dark red fireplace makes it that much worse. Faux wood mantels have many benefits including: The benefits of faux wood mantels are hard to ignore, so even if you have your heart set on real wood beams, browse through some of our We didn't bother mitering the edges and just butted them since we knew it would be covered with trim later on. FANTASTIC!! Go with your gut! shaila, I would try whitewashing the brick first & didn't like the effect you could always paint over it. And let's end the discussion, Hi, Everyone above had good suggestions. Was there much of a gap between the new mantle and the jagged brick? By the way, we found the MDF very messy to work with (we are STILL cleaning up saw dust a month later). We used the same sheet of MDF to cover the sides of the surround and across the top. Jenna Kate at Home LLC is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. When choosing the color and texture, consider all of the other design pieces in your home and space. To match the lighter new floors, we decided to rebuild the mantel (using the same materials and technique) but stain it to look like oak.. To see how we stained the new mantel to look like oak, you can click here for that separate tutorial. I placed one pine board on the floor and lined the other on its side in front of it, liquid nailed it, made sure it was flush, and nailed it together. Nail it down all around. We did the math and figured all that out, then screwed the wood into the brick with some masonry screws and as well as liquid nails. Please help with updating brick fireplace and mantel. insist the builder install the correct mantel. 5 Comments. This project was completed quite a while ago, so if I were to do it now, Im sure I would have used a different technique. The mantel itself is a very simple box. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Obviously you have now gotten so many comments you are probably confused! The same goes for your furniture placement. We chose to build our mantel box before finishing the surround, so that we could visually see how far we wanted it to come out. or did you approve that mantel and then realize after it went in that it's not working for you? And two stains isn't indecisive..it's just "layering the color for a richer finish." You may want to slightly add a wash or lightly sponge some paint on and mush is around just to give it some depth. Thanks! Imagine the windows in this ie. Stinking Amazing! That combo would work with rustic or contemporary. After the boards are nailed, be sure to wipe up any liquid nails with a damp cloth, because it is a pain to get off later. Yours may need to be bigger or smaller, but that may help you figure out what you need. Ill show you how to create a home that looks good, feels good, and functions well! Then nail the bottom piece to all the supports, and finally the front piece. I am absolutely going to try this out. I made sure that the wood had no imperfections and was very smooth before priming it with 2 coats of my favorite primer and sealer. That simply means if you click on one of the links and buy something, I receive a small commission, but dont worry you wont pay a dime more.*. No demo needed! At least if they were in a colour which would camouflage them , they would be far less visible. Is it possible to add a wood veneer over it?? Thanks, great job. Follow me on social media for lots more home decor, DIY & recipe content! Our how-to guide shows exactly how you can complete a fireplace makeover yourself by installing a wood beam mantel over your existing mantel. If it has brackets, you could just remove the old mantel and install a new one. I think it would really weird having a mantle towards the top 1/3 of the fireplace, but I just don't know what to do. Wood beam mantel diy fireplace makeover. You did an awesome job!!! Before we could tile the hearth, we covered the brick with inch MDF. The corners don't need to be mitered, just butted together since they will be covered by trim in a later step. Good luck with your fireplace! In my opinion, it still lacked character and warmth. Add shadow boxes with 1 x 2's to both vertical sides and the piece under the mantel. If you extended the actual sides though, I would think you would need to adhere the top. Ive never seen them install a mantle then stone around it. Wow that's gorgeous. What do you suggest? Note: In hindsight, it would have made more sense to build the box first and THEN install it. Im not knowledgeable in this area, Id love some advice on how I can possibly change the look without ruining the stone and not spending ton of money. Im trying to upgrade my mantel .. thank you. I just read what you did on Hometalk. Cut the top board the length of the mantel. I'd negotiate a pro to replace it, but maybe plan it for 3 months in the future. Seriously the mantle is awesome! Required fields are marked *. Looking for more? Or google "slipcover mantle" for other people's instructions. I didnt want to delay closing after doing my walkthrough, I also didnt have the energy to fight it. The lattice repeats on the side of the fireplace, too. If you have a kreg-jig, pocket holes would work great to secure the sides. You could darken the stain and distress it, to get a look closer to what you wanted. The first is to build the box and then screw it to the wall with heavy duty wood screws. Carli,You simply must go over to my friend Gail's blog and link this up to her Catch as Catch Can party! Looking at doing this too. Answering these questions is a great way to narrow down your wood beam mantel options while also helping to make sure this new design piece brings your home an aesthetic you love for many years to come. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Did you use a hammer drill? You can read about those projects here. just curious, but how did such a major mistake happen? I sealed all the fuzzy edges of the MDF with a light coat of spackle, let it dry and sanded it with fine grit sandpaper. Love the look of the mantle. Is your fireplace mantel a sore spot in your living space? I have never done it before but have read about it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In case you missed it, see my detailed living room transformation post to see how we brightened and updated our living room here. What is the blue/grayish accent color you used on the recessed areas? Oops, I didn't read your post properly. The bottom piece needed to be raised up from the ground enough so that to top of the insert would align with the top of the opening and cover an imperfections in the tile right around the edge. Use additional MDF to flank the sides of the fireplace, to create two columns, then another piece across the top. (large brick fireplace, sloped ceilings, exposed beams etc). We are moving into a place with a bad fireplace and I was excited to see a great option here! Ready to browse our many colors and wood beam mantel options? What a difference!!! Mimi's faux mantle. Is that a skylight, or a fight fixture? The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. The bottom piece was nail in place and then the side pieces. slip this directly over the existing mantel and secure it in an inconspicuous place ( like the top) with masonry/cement screws). Add some rustic vibes to your fireplace by adding a wood beam mantel. Then we added 1 x 4 pieces to the bottom of the vertical sides to create some depth. UPDATED 2021: Below is what my fireplace and living room look like now. It's such an improvement, modern and fresh. If you want to know how my painted fireplace is holding up after three years, click here. Since the previous mantel was made out of cement brick and because I hadnt planned on doing any masonry demo (nor do I know how to, lol) I built a mantle slipcover. I agree that the speaker and random switch plates are an eyesore . Thanks for sharing. Lastly, the window needs to be addressed and should have a drapery treatment which adds visual weight to balance the weight of the fireplace. , Now this is an amazing mantle. My kids love to help and have kiddy versions of ALL our tools! I want to do that very exact project. We want to white wash the brick (we were thinking of maybe adding some dark and light shades into the white to make the bricks look as if they were originally multiple shades), but it's the arch that is making us scratch our heads and go crazy! []. What did you use for the border around the tile on top of the hearth? and more than a few swear words were uttered. Next up we worked on finishing the shadow boxes using 1x2's. Here is what it looked like after whitewashing the brick. Use trim to turn it into a feature that will turn heads, Bypass plain brick in favor of these choice materials, for a fireplace mantel that's anything but ordinary, Been there, done that with the pumpkins and corncobs? The wood is the bigger offender as far as I can see. Building a home was my dream and I had every detail planned out. It should look like this (minus the stain, I told yall I just get a head of myself sometimes): I then began to stain the beam. More pics will soon follow, just have to do some more finishing touches! But I have to say it was worth it. Your email address will not be published. I'm not sure our circular saw was up to the job - a table saw would have made cleaner cuts - and the pieces were large so cutting them with our miter saw was a no-go. this is an amazing project! Also, what do you use under your Christmas Tree, is that a basket? Your email address will not be published. Stunning! We have a floor to ceiling (i think about 8' high) brick fireplace in our family room that is screaming for a makeover!! Looks great! Do you think if I extended the mantel sides it would work and still be stable? that way you can move in, relax, focus on other things. I used two different stains because Im indecisive and was getting anxiety trying choose one in Home Depot to get the color I wanted. We even offer faux wood and real wood samples if you would like to see the color in person before ordering. Cover the brick hearth with inch MDF using Liquid Nails. Good job! Given the huge impact, this project required such little investment.