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I have the electric fireplace insert, but need a mantel...?

All the sites I have found online offer fireplace/mantel combos only. I only need a mantel. I've even thought of just building my own and tried finding woodworking plans for them and have come up empty. I may just take measurements and build something rudimentary and then build around that using stone/wood etc. Things to consider before answering: 1.We work for a major home improvement company.. not interested in what they have in stock. 2. I have searched to exhaustion online. Perhaps someone knows a site that I have not found yet. 3. I am leaning toward building my own, but would love ideas that are unique and creative. Thanks so much!

Public Comments

  1. I think DIY would be a good way to go and could be readily accomplished using wood or MDF trim and crown moulding - possibly topped with shelving wood, then painting or staining to suit. I made something like that years back for a gas insert, because the stock mantle wouldn't fit.. turned out great!
  2. I've built custom mantles for years, with and without the balance of the surround. They aren't really that difficult, if you have Miter Saw, and if your using MDF, it's a lot easier if you have a Brad Nailer, hammer is just too destructive, Glue, clamps..A faux finish using paint would be fun, Stained has the advantage of not showing minor mistakes, or just distress it even more and it becomes a distressed mantle, Painted is cheaper, but requires more caulk and spackle, but then you get into thousands of possible combinations. You can go rustic, rough slab shelf, all kinds of possible brackets, Iron, tree forks, sky is the limit. Have Fun
  3. If you are serious about making your own, consider what it is that you do not like about the stock items that you have not bought, as well as the over-all style you are trying to achieve in the room. There is no reason that a mantle has to be all wood. Consider materials like granite, marble, ceramic (or porcelain or glass) tiles, stainless steel or other metal... Depending on what material(s) you choose, it is very possible that using a lesser priced substrate with a beautiful material applied over it will end up being less expensive than going for wood. I'm not sure which websites have good fireplace pictures, but there are countless books on fireplace design that could help give you some inspiration. Good luck.
  4. You can first try going entering "Woodcraft Patterns" on your search engine. There are lots out there. I have seen some extraordinary fireplace mantels you can build yourself on these sites. You have to take the time to look at each one. The second thing you can do is set down and draw a picture of what you would like to have. We made our own mantel. We found some small thin chair rail and used it to decorate around the top of the mantel. Then we went to Lowes and bought some decorative wooden ornaments to tack on the front. They have some nice elegant ornaments. We hand stained all the wood before putting it together and applied a nice layer of polyurethane and buffed it up. We were so proud of our fireplace, we ended up wood burning all the names of our family members on the bottom of each side of the mantel with their birth dates in small letters. The fireplace is our conversation piece where our family always sits together because it is warm and something we all did together.