ovaledasorquideas: How To Construct A Mantel

together with the existent floor is that Jesse built this mantel How To Build a Mantel

The mantel tutorial I've been promising is finally here! Ya'll know I don't do also much forest working on this blog, together with the existent floor is that Jesse built this mantel, piece I watched together with learned, together with and then I did what I do best: I painted it. However, I learned thus much piece ~~watching~~ helping Jesse, that it totally made me desire to create stuff. That's the affair close materials that scares you...once you lot effort it, you lot realize it isn't that scary afterward all.

So, this is the floor of how Jesse built the mantel. And how I soaked upward every infinitesimal similar an eager, unskilled sponge.
Even Geppetto had to start somewhere, people.

When, I get-go started this beast of a project, I knew it would never live consummate without a mantel. You may retrieve that I was dealing alongside this piffling naked jewel of a 1970's fireplace.

I looked everywhere, thinking for sure I could only abide by a inexpensive notwithstanding beautiful mantel.

That = piping dream.

And together with then I looked online for mantel tutorials, together with in that location weren't rattling many of those either. I was thus frustrated.

So, I convinced Jesse it would live fun to create one.
I don't think he believed me ane bit, together with would've much rather spent his Lord's Day line-fishing or golfing, but I think he enjoyed it nonetheless. Plus, non a twenty-four threescore minutes stream has passed since it was built that he hasn't stopped to pet the mantel for a moment.

It cost us a fraction of the cost of those fancy mantels (we exclusively had to purchase a few pieces of forest which cost us close $20-$30 total), together with the entire projection exclusively took a few hours to complete.

We used basic tools together with supplies to create this mantle, most of which nosotros already had from previous projects.

Here is a consummate listing of what you'll need.

Supplies:

1. 4 Pieces of Wood:
We used soft pino because it was actually affordable.
Start alongside 3 pieces of equal length forest (pre-cut is easiest!) for the front, back, together with bottom of your mantle. The front end together with dorsum should live the exact same dimensions, together with the bottom should exclusively live every bit wide/thick every bit you lot desire the curtain to appear deep.
Get a larger slice of forest (height & width) for the curtain top thus that it extends beyond the curtain box on the sides together with front. You'll also demand 1 brusque slice the same elevation every bit the front end & dorsum thus that you lot tin cutting it to cap the halt on both sides of the mantle.
2. 1 Piece of Decorative Trim:
We constitute a 4" slice of decorative cut down (moulding) alongside several curves that nosotros thought would await prissy attached underneath the curtain top to supply only about extra detail.
3. Jig Saw:
We used a jigsaw to cutting our pino boards, which worked only fine. A tabular array saw would live fifty-fifty easier together with supply the most precise cuts. You could also purpose a handsaw, but (Jesse says) acquire gear upward to sweat.
4. Mitre box:
We used a mitre box to cutting angles to connect the decorative cut down on the front end together with sides of the mantle.
5. Wood Screws:
We used forest screws to screw the pieces of pino together.
6. Bolts:
We used bolts to do a costless floating mountain on the fireplace wall.
7. Drill:
We used a drill to drill holes inward the dorsum of the finished curtain for costless floating mountain together with into the surface where nosotros wanted to hang the mantle.
8. Dremel:
You'll demand a dremel (or other precision rotary cutting tool) to cutting the halt off of bolts.
9. Liquid Nails:
We used Liquid Nails to secure the mountain together with mucilage the decorative cut down to the curtain front end together with side.
10. Caulk:
I used caulk to create total inward whatever gaps betwixt the forest pieces earlier painting.
11. Primer & Paint:
You'll demand primer to brand certain your pigment adheres. I painted my mantel alongside semi gloss pigment (more details at halt of post).

Once nosotros had the necessary supplies, here's how nosotros built it.

We constitute it cheapest/easiest to purpose these pino risers together with only about leftover fighting wood. This pino is nifty because it's inexpensive together with looks nifty when painted. However, alongside pine, brand certain to pre-drill the holes that you lot think on screwing because it volition ofttimes crevice or interruption if you lot effort to boom it or screw it inward directly.

We learned this the difficult way. And that's when my trusty wood filler came inward handy.

Assemble your wooden curtain starting alongside the front end together with dorsum (identical pieces) to the top & bottom. Screw the pieces together. Remember, you're basically making a large hollow forest box. You only offset it a piffling thus that the top extends beyond the front end board...this basically only makes it await similar a mantel.

Here's a closeup side sentiment to demo you lot how far nosotros offset the front end piece. You are essentially creating a piffling ledge.

Next, you'll attach the 2 sides together with the bottom to goal the box.

In the below picture, you lot tin regard that the curtain is at nowadays sitting upright. We used fighting forest from an quondam wooden shelf for the sides together with bottom, thus if you lot don't receive got whatever quondam forest around, you lot tin purchase an extra pino board.

Also, since Jesse built me a mantel, nosotros volition only smiling understandingly at the fact that he used my side past times side dresser projection every bit a tabular array to saw materials on inward the spider garage. :)

Anyways, here's a side shot of the mantle. Attach the bottom, together with mensurate together with cutting your halt pieces to closed inward the mantle.

By at nowadays it should actually live starting to await similar a mantel. The side past times side business office is adding only about decorating cut down below the ledge together with on the sides to actually fancy it up.
We only bought ane large slice of decorative cut down together with used a mitre box to cutting the necessary angles.

Back when nosotros did this project, nosotros bought this mitre box kit (affiliate link) alongside clamps together with a saw for $12. It's pretty basic, but totally gets the task done when cutting angles.

You'll demand to mensurate your cut down an inch longer than you lot think, because cutting it at a 45 marking angle volition convey it dorsum inward an inch thus that it tin perfectly run across the side pieces, which you lot volition demand to cutting the same way. Treat the cut down similar a puzzle. Line it upward inward your caput together with slice them together a few times to brand certain you lot cutting the angles the right direction.

You may desire to practise using your mitre box on only about junk cut down first..not because it's difficult to use, but because if you lot are doing it for the get-go time, it mightiness accept a yoke practise runs to figure out your angles.

So, you'll demand ane long slice for the front end (that volition live glued below the ledge) together with ii brusque pieces, ane for each side.

Here is a side sentiment to demo you lot how the angles volition occupation up. You volition live glueing the cut down upward underneath the ledge.

To mucilage the cut down onto the mantle, I used Liquid Nails (affiliate link). Once the curtain is completely assembled, in that location volition live tons of tiny gaps betwixt your wood. If you lot are epitome it white, you'll desire to caulk all of the gaps to arrive await seamless. I used DAP paintable acrylic latex caulk (affiliate link). Both tin live seen below.

You tin also create total whatever seams or gaps inward the corners of your decorative cut down alongside forest filler. Our cuts alongside the mitre box weren't perfect, thus I only filled the gaps alongside this forest filler together with sanded it to gibe the grooves of the trim. Once painted, you'll never know. Oh, together with definitely don't skip the caulk...it makes a huge deviation inward how professional person it looks.

The below pic is afterward I had used forest filler together with caulk to brand the entire affair seamless.

To hang the mantle, Jesse used a costless floating curtain mountain technique (found here) that you lot tin brand yourself alongside a few bolts together with only about liquid nails. In a nutshell, you lot just drill holes into the surface where you're mounting the mantle, screw inward heavy duty bolts, cutting the heads off the bolts together with comprehend them inward liquid nails, together with and then slide on the mantle. You volition demand to pre-drill holes inward the curtain spaced together with aligned to the bolts coming from the surface where the curtain is to live mounted.

Side note: Ignore the other 85 holes nosotros drilled when nosotros mounted our boob tube on the mantle. It worked great, but I ended upward non liking it. Oops. Sorry rocks.

I hung the curtain earlier I painted it because Jesse was close to move out of town for the weekend, together with this daughter needed her mantel hung. You volition in all likelihood desire to pigment your mantel earlier you lot hang it. :)

But, regardless of where you pigment it, here's how I painted my mantle. It's similar to the method I used on all of our trim together with most of the furniture I painted.

It's a actually unproblematic process. I primed the forest using Zinsser primer (affiliate link) together with and then painted it alongside Behr Ultra White inward a semi-gloss finish. I used a paintbrush to apply the pigment together with a small-scale foam roller to shine the brushstrokes.