Do It Yourself: Fireplace Mantel Refurbish

Do it yourself home improvement is exactly what it sounds like. this is a blog that gives you a step by step details on home to complete some of the major improvements to your home and safe some money in the process. I first want to talk about making a fireplace mantle.  This adds value and ambiance to your home.  Fireplaces are big selling factors that customers notice when entering your home.  Here are some step by step instructions that i am using to redo my fireplace.  I got these instructions from ronhazleton.com, check it out or just read me article all the way through.  Here are a list of materials and tools that you will need to complete this project:

Tools and supplies: 

      A design or working plan 
      Pry bars 
      Wide putty knife 
      Safety goggles 
      Power miter box 
      Table saw 
      Pneumatic nail gun 
      Level 
      Pencil 
      Stud finder 
      Pneumatic brad nailer 
      Disposable gloves 

Materials: 
      Standard dimension pine lumber (as needed for design) 
      Wood adhesive 
      Nails 
      Wood glue 
      Construction adhesive 
      Decorative molding for under edge of mantle 
      Plinth blocks (or corner blocks) 
      Decorative molding for facing 
      Brads 
      Decorative trim between plinth blocks and the surround 
      Interior grade spackling compound 
      Primer 
      Paint

1. Remove existing molding:

• The first step was to remove the existing molding that surrounded the fireplace using a pry bar and a wide putty knife to protect the wall.

  

2. Cut wood for new surround:

• Start by cutting out the lengths they needed from standard dimension pine lumber that they got from the home improvement center.
• For this project you might need two different types of saws: a power miter box for the crosscutting-- the cuts going across the grain of the wood, and a table saw for the ripping--the lengthwise cuts going along the grain of the wood.

  

3. Assemble surround:

• They applied wood glue to each set of the three pieces that will make up the sides and the top of the fireplace surround and then they assembled them together.
• Since this project involved a lot of nailing, it might be wise to bring along a pneumatic nail gun if you do not have to finances for this a hammer works just as well, but a little more time consuming.

  

4. Attach surround to fireplace:

• They used a stud finder to locate and mark the studs in the wall.
• Next they attached the three pieces of the surround to the fireplace. Draw a level line on the wall to put the top of the surround in place first. They held it level and nailed it into the wall studs with the nail gun.
• Next they attached the side of the surround both with nails and with several dots of construction adhesive on the side that goes up against the tile. Since you can't nail into the tile, you need to rely on this glue to hold it in place.

  

5. Form and attach mantle piece:

• A piece of 1 x 10 pine and a length of decorative molding are combined to form the mantel. The molding is cut at angles with the miter box and then glued and nailed to what will be the underside of the mantle piece. Remember to set the trim back from the edge of the board about an eighth of an inch along the edge to give an extra bit of detail.
• Apply construction adhesive to the top of the surround pieces, and glue and nail the mantel into place.

  

6. Add decorative details:

• Using plinth blocks or corner blocks,  you create a look that simulates the top and the bottom of a column. These are also nailed with the gun to the top and base of the surround and to the sides.
• Using the miter box, Ron angle cut decorative molding for the face of the surround. To attach the smaller molding, Ron switched to a pneumatic brad nail gun. This gun uses a very fine, almost needle-like nail that will prevent splitting.
• The final touch was to place a piece of decorative molding between the plinth block and the surround and tack it into place with the brad nailer. These also need to be miter cut at the ends.

  

7. Spackle, prime and paint:

• Using an interior grade spackle and a putty knife, helps fill in the nail holes and minor surface imperfections.
• They applied primer coat to the new mantle.
• They finished by applying two coats of paint.

  

THE RESULTS:

When Ron first arrived, the Coppa's fireplace was flat and uninteresting. With the whole Coppa family involved, this beautiful fireplace transformation took place in just two days! Now they have a place to put photos of their special friends…like Ron Hazelton!