Considering remodeling your home? We recommend replacing an older or outdated fireplace mantel to update the look of an entire living space. Even if you are not an expert craftsman, you can anticipate completing this project within a few hours. Considering that the enjoyment you’ll get from your new mantel will last for years to come, it would be time well-spent.

Here is a list of items you will need in order to complete the job:

• Pry bar / Crowbar
• Tape Measure
• Level
• Saw
• Drill with Masonry bit
• Lag Sleeves and bolts
• Hammer / Nails
• Ledger board (2 x 2 inches)

Step 1: Out With The Old!

Using your crowbar or a pry bar, carefully remove the mantel from the bricks or wall it is fastened to. In most cases, fireplace mantels are usually locked together with glue and wooden pegs. Progress little by little to avoid cracking or damaging the bricks or wall to which the mantel is attached.

Step 2: Measure

The next step is to measure the width and the depth of the old mantel with your tape measure. These measurements will be used to determine the measurements of your new mantel. So remember, measure carefully! If you are planning on installing a surround mantel or wrap-around mantel, make sure to adjust your measurements accordingly.

Step 3: Install the Support Ledger

Now you will need to measure the width of the fireplace opening, and cut a 2 x 2-inch piece of ledger board to match. Position the support ledger at the desired height and level it. Drill the pilot holes in the support ledger board completely through the other side. You’ll need to put in the lag sleeves into the ledger board and screw in the lag screws with your drill or electric screwdriver.

Step 4: Prepping the New Mantel

After installing the support ledger brace board, place the mantel alongside the stone, brick or wall. Line up the new mantel so that it is in the center of the support wall and the fireplace opening, and to where it rests upon the support ledger board.

Step 5: Installing The Mantel to the Support Ledger Board

After you have properly positioning the mantel with the support ledger board and fireplace opening, secure it by nailing the mantel directly to the ledger board.

Step 6: Locking the Mantel

Remember to always follow the manufacturer’s instruction for installing the mantel to the bricks or wall. Normally, this process includes either glue and pegs or lag bolts and sleeves. Prior to securing the mantel to the support bricks or support wall, check to ensure that the mantel is level. If not, adjust accordingly.

Congratulations! You have now completed the final step of the installation process. Now the only thing left is to clean up, sit back and enjoy your new fireplace mantel.

MantelsDirect.com offers decorating ideas for stunning fireplace mantels designs. Decorating inspiration includes easy-to-install mantel shelves, custom stone mantels, hand-carved marble mantels, and traditional wood mantels. Our ideas help create an outstanding fireplace mantel.

Mantel shelves are available in many types of wood, timber, and cast stone. Mantel shelves are the perfect, affordable update to any room. Our mantels shelves are easy to install and available in standard and custom sizes. Simply hang a favorite picture above your mantel shelf and add a few accessories; you’ll add a beautiful focal point to any room. Below is one of our most popular mantels, the Commodore.

Stone mantels designs add elegance and class to any room. MantelsDirect.com has 31 styles of mantel designs to choose from. A large stone mantel fireplace becomes a work of art and focal point on it’s own.  Below is our bold Venetian Stone Fireplace Mantel from the Majestic Series:

Marble fireplace mantel designs are hand-sculpted and made one-at-a-time by the hands of a skilled master craftsman. Our marble fireplace mantels are available in a variety of sizes and colors. Adding a few accessories like, candles and greenery finishes a marble mantel look in any room.

Traditional wood fireplace mantels add a classic styling to any décor. We offer wood mantel surrounds for every style and budget. The Heritage Fireplace Mantel is a classic mantel design and available in a variety of custom sizes. The Heritage is easy to install, with only a few tools and limited skill required. Adding a few pictures leaning against the wall with a couple of added accessories can create a comfortable, effortless look.

Is your fireplace looking a little tired? Or does your builder’s mantel still look as dull as it did when you moved in? You know the fireplace is the perfect focal point in any room. However, if your not happy with your current fireplace, it can be hard to design around it. By updating and re-facing your current mantel, you can give your fireplace and overall room a facelift.

• Cast stone mantels are lightweight, easy to install, and much more affordable than traditional solid stone mantels. Stone mantels are fire resistant and allow for zero clearance from combustible material (no space required between firebox and mantel) making it the perfect choice for gas and wood fireplaces.
• Marble mantels are classically designed and will add a touch of elegance to any space. Marble mantels are available in a variety of sizes, designs, and colors.
• Traditional wood mantels create a statement of style and craftsmanship. MantelsDirect.com offers wood mantels in cherry, maple, and oak. Wood mantels are designed to overlap your facing material and provide a finished transition between wall, facing, and firebox. Wood mantels are easy to install with just a few tools and limited skill, you can quickly install your mantel kit.

Replacing your fireplace mantel is an easy, affordable, and a quick way to bring style and spark to your home. See real before and after pictures from our customers:

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Whether your building a new home or updating your current residence adding a cast stone mantel to your space will add a design element that is exquisite. There are several advantages of stone fireplace mantels; durability and low maintenance are just a few. Considering that cast stone is a non-combustible material, stone mantels tend to be a safer option. MantelsDirect.com offers a collection of cast stone mantels that are easy to install because they are lighter in weight than traditional solid stone mantels. Classic Stone Mantels are offered in over 31 styles and a variety of color options. MantelsDirect.com provides step-by-step directions for choosing the best cast stone mantel for your space; their expert customer care staff is available for extra assistance. Classic Stone Mantels create a dramatic and appealing effect, which will wow your guests. Adding a stone mantel to your home will create a focal point that will be enjoyed for years to come.

You’ve been ready for summer since January, but what about your home interior? Put those rotting fire logs outside and get creative with your dormant fireplace. Freshen up your fireplace mantel during the warm months. Here a few fresh ideas for a beautiful display in your fireplace mantel.

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.

The fireplace mantel is the focal point of my family room, I want classic features I know will stand the test of time.  As I familiarize myself with the terms used to describe parts of a mantle, I come across “over mantel”. Over mantels are decorative structures, originally constructed of plasterwork or carved wood, basically a mantel set on top of the horizontal shelf of the bottom. The upper mantel may often be found having an ornamental panel with a mirror or painting in the center area.

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.

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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