Birch tree bark’s light shades and texture can bring alot of interest to an otherwise cold dark space. Buy birch at a garden center or on-line and cut it to your specifications. Measure the opening to get a full look without a gap on the sides. Pile one log directly on top of another in the opening, taking time and try them in different orders until you find the best arrangement.

A mirror would not only reflect light but a gorgeous rug facing the fireplace mantel. Visit your local framer to have a piece of mirror cut to the exact dimensions of the fireplace opening. Ask to have the edges of the mirror seamed, so they’re not sharp. Or simply lean a large framed mirror against the front of the hearth, as you might lean a piece of art against the wall above the mantel, if you don’t have pets or small children.

A surprising way to bring a glow to the fireplace is to insert an electric log set, striking when the light reflects against a shiny floor. This is a way to brighten up the fireplace mantel and hearth until the temperatures drop in the fall, so go ahead and snake the cord out of the opening to plug the electric fireplace in.

If it’s the mantel itself that you cannot get over, and the surround is what has caught your eye, I suggest you check out Ramsay from the Majestic Series of Classic Stone Mantels. Summer is a great time to renovate the whole fireplace mantel and surround to ensure the project is completed and ready for year end holidays.

Experienced real estate agents will give staging tips that include cleaning until your home is spotless, next declutter, followed by depersonalizing. You may have taken the photos off the refrigerator, hidden stacks of paper from your desk and freshened up with a new coat of paint.  Look past your furniture, art and fireplace screen, it’s the bones of the house that must have a draw to the buyers.

Homes with strong architectural details add interest and anchor the home in a period or style. These features include crown molding, the stairwell and fireplace mantel. As you walk into a room the eye is drawn to the focal point, most commonly the fireplace mantel. To declutter and freshen up the mantel fireplace is one of the biggest staging tips I could give. A fireplace make-over project could include refacing the fireplace surround and installing a new mantel shelf. Fireplace mantels can be designed to overlap your existing facing material and provide a completely new custom look. Remodeling the fireplace mantel is completely adaptable keeping staging to sell and the home improvement upgrade within your budget. Think of this as an investment in your home. You may find illustrated measuring instructions or an installation guide helpful in deciding fireplace mantels that would best stage your home for buyers.

Enhancing the architectural elements of the fireplace mantel, as  your room’s primary focal point, will add to the overall home value, get it staged to sell and impact your showings. Staging is a short term marketing tool focused on the showing keeping the end goal in mind: SOLD!

Studies show staged homes sell for more money than un-staged homes. Where could a short term investment in your home have the greatest impact? The first step is getting buyers to actually come to see your house. Staged houses look better on the MLS pictures. Naturally these photos of your home would include a living or family room. The fireplace mantel is the focal point within a space that draws the eye and makes your home stand out. Beef up or update the mantel fireplace and surround could be what makes your home memorable during a showing.

Review competing listings and compare your fireplace mantel to others found inside homes in your market. This may help determine the extent of work the fireplace mantel needs. Out with the old shiny brass fireplace accessories. A new updated fireplace screen may be the only staging needed. A do-it-yourself update of the fireplace mantel shelf, replacing the facing on the fireplace mantel surround or complete remodel of the wood fireplace mantel with the help of a contractor may be in order. Putting a little work toward to stage your home and make-over the fireplace mantel may be what gives your home the edge over competing properties.

I would love to introduce these classic features but am sure plasterwork or commissioning hand carved woodwork cost prohibitive; not to mention the challenge of locating skilled craftsman in my hometown. Cast stone is a masonry product used as an architectural feature, which is an excellent replacement for natural cut stone. Classic Cast Stone Mantels call upon renaissance details adapting over mantels to add to the interest of the mantel shelf, hearth and fireplace mantel surround facings. That oil painting once found in the center panel of the overmantel would have to be replaced by a flat screen television. A niche, 16th century recess introduced into the design especially for a statue, can be fashioned within an over mantel to accommodate our t.v. Cast stone crown molding could be customized to coordinate with the fireplace for our new mantel and over mantel.

Overmantels seem to be most commonly found in homes that have ceilings of ten feet or more because rooms with tall ceilings can definitely support the visual impact of an overmantel. This classic architecture really appeals to me, but I eight foot ceilings.  If you want this look too but don’t have tall ceilings either, don’t lose heart.  Custom fireplace mantel designs with over mantels are an option with fully customizable widths and heights, made to order, based on dimensions dictated by your home. Deb is the MantelsDirect.com cast stone expert and an excellent resource for questions about cast stone fireplace mantels.  Adding details to my fireplace mantel will enhance the architecture of my room, plus the introduction of an over mantel would definitely achieve the ‘wow’ from anyone who enters the room.

(Warwick Cast Stone Mantel – Save $200 in July!)

Cast stone is defined by the Cast Stone Institute as “a masonry product that provides ornamental or functional features to buildings and other structures. Cast Stone is made from fine and coarse aggregates, Portland cement, mineral oxide color pigments, chemical admixtures and water”. Cast Stone products are versatile; they can resemble any color and give the appearance of a variety of natural building stones including but not limited to limestone, granite, slate, travertine or marble. Applications for Cast Stone range from the simplest windowsills to the most complicated architectural elements.

What does this mean when applied to a fireplace mantel?  It means you can have a custom stone mantel at a fraction of the cost that is easy to install and can be shipped directly to you. Cast stone fireplace mantels come in a variety of colors and finishes. Explore our cast stone website and we’ll ship you samples for free!

The Bellevue Cast Stone mantel is one of our Special Purchase Value Kits. The Bellevue is in stock (in Limestone) and ready for immediate shipment. The highly refined cast stone process simulates natural stone and is virtually indistinguishable from quarried Limestone.

Act now! Only a few left in stock – ready to ship. Our popular Kingston and Vanderbilt models have temporarily sold out!

We find ourselves digging a bit deeper to get to the crux of what the customer is looking for, as a “Mantel” can mean a Mantel Shelf (one piece above fireplace – alt. Fireplace Shelf, Mantelpiece) or Mantel Surround (shelf and legs surrounding the firebox – alt. Fireplace Mantel).

Whatever you call it, we will figure out what you are looking for and deliver the best solution for your needs.

One of the quickest and most cost effective upgrades that you can make to your home is a new fireplace facing kit combined with a wood fireplace mantel. Facing kits are precut and are made of marble, granite, travertine or slate. The kits are easily installed using construction adhesive and can be placed over existing brick, drywall or almost any substrate. Our wood fireplace mantel kits can be put together in a few minutes and slide over (and overlap) the facing kit. Once the mantel is secured to the wall, you will have completed your project!

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