To all of you fortunate enough to have a home with a fireplace? Does the fireplace look too big, bare, boring, end-all? If so, then consider a mantel to beautify your fireplace. If you walk into a room with a fireplace and mantel, you’ll notice that it is the center of attention. It would be the first place that anyone’s eyes will go to when they enter the room. It will evoke the feeling of pleasure and calmness. However, walking into a room with a bare, mantelless fireplace, eyes will be displeased.
You do not have to be a experienced handyman to be able to install your own fireplace mantel shelves. Anyone can do it. However, you should only install your own fireplace mantel if projects like this are pleasing to you. Otherwise, you should have someone else install it for you. Here is a helpful installation tip for you. If you need to paint or stain your mantel, be sure you do that outside in the open air before installing the mantel in your home.
If you are installing it yourself, mounting board strips will make this easier. You can simply screw the mantel straight in. If you do not use mounting board strips, then you should drive the screws in at an angle. Be sure to use measuring tape and a level to make sure that the mantel is properly leveled and centered.
Conventional wisdom seems to say that you would put the legs and first on either side of the fireplace and then the mantel on top of that. However, mantel installation experts suggest putting the top shelf and first and then the legs underneath it. Installed scribe molding on the interior portion of the mantel. This makes the opening appear as if it’s facing you. If it doesn’t fit correctly, you can trim it. Finishing nails can be used to fasten them in.
Finally, use a good wood putty to fill in all of the screw holes. These are never fun to look at once the putty dries you can cover it with the same stain or paint that you used previously.
It’s as simple as that. Installing a fireplace mantel is not that difficult at all. However, in many cases this is a state of mind. Something that is very easy for some can appear very complicated, frustrating, and stressful to another. How do you feel after putting together that discount futon you bought at the local superstore? Could you follow the directions carefully and without a problem? Did it frustrate you when something wasn’t working out correctly? If so, installing your own mantel may not be a good idea.