DIY How To Build a Mantel

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

So, this is the storey 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 call upward that I was dealing amongst this lilliputian naked jewel of a 1970's fireplace.

I looked everywhere, thinking for sure I could but discovery a inexpensive silent beautiful mantel.

That = pipage dream.

And together with hence I looked online for mantel tutorials, together with at that topographic point weren't really many of those either. I was hence frustrated.

So, I convinced Jesse it would live fun to create one.
I don't think he believed me 1 bit, together with would've much rather spent his Dominicus line-fishing or golfing, but I think he enjoyed it nonetheless. Plus, non a hateful solar daytime 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 toll of those fancy mantels (we alone had to purchase a few pieces of forest which cost us nigh $20-$30 total), together with the entire projection alone 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. four Pieces of Wood:
We used soft pino because it was actually affordable.
Start amongst iii 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 alone live equally wide/thick equally you lot desire the pall to appear deep.
Get a larger slice of forest (height & width) for the pall top hence that it extends beyond the pall box on the sides together with front. You'll also demand 1 curt slice the same meridian equally the front end & dorsum hence that you lot tin cutting it to cap the cease on both sides of the mantle.
2. 1 Piece of Decorative Trim:
We works life a 4" slice of decorative cut down (moulding) amongst several curves that nosotros idea would await prissy attached underneath the pall top to furnish roughly extra detail.
3. Jig Saw:
We used a jigsaw to cutting our pino boards, which worked but fine. A tabular array saw would live fifty-fifty easier together with furnish the most precise cuts. You could also job a handsaw, but (Jesse says) acquire cook 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 gratis floating mountain on the fireplace wall.
7. Drill:
We used a drill to drill holes inwards the dorsum of the finished pall for gratis 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 cease off of bolts.
9. Liquid Nails:
We used Liquid Nails to secure the mountain together with mucilage the decorative cut down to the pall front end together with side.
10. Caulk:
I used caulk to create total inwards 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 amongst semi gloss pigment (more details at cease of post).

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

We works life it cheapest/easiest to job these pino risers together with roughly leftover combat wood. This pino is swell because it's inexpensive together with looks swell when painted. However, amongst pine, brand certain to pre-drill the holes that you lot intend on screwing because it volition oft crevice or pause if you lot endeavor to boom it or screw it inwards directly.

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

Assemble your wooden pall starting amongst 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 but offset it a lilliputian hence that the top extends beyond the front end board...this basically but makes it await similar a mantel.

Here's a closeup side persuasion to exhibit you lot how far nosotros offset the front end piece. You are essentially creating a lilliputian ledge.

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

In the below picture, you lot tin consider that the pall is at nowadays sitting upright. We used combat forest from an one-time wooden shelf for the sides together with bottom, hence if you lot don't receive got whatever one-time forest around, you lot tin purchase an extra pino board.

Also, since Jesse built me a mantel, nosotros volition but grinning understandingly at the fact that he used my adjacent dresser projection equally a tabular array to saw materials on inwards the spider garage. :)

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

By at nowadays it should actually live starting to await similar a mantel. The adjacent purpose is adding roughly decorating cut down below the ledge together with on the sides to actually fancy it up.
We but bought 1 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) amongst 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 marker angle volition select it dorsum inwards an inch hence that it tin perfectly come across the side pieces, which you lot volition demand to cutting the same way. Treat the cut down similar a puzzle. Line it upward inwards 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 roughly 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 duad practise runs to figure out your angles.

So, you'll demand 1 long slice for the front end (that volition live glued below the ledge) together with 2 curt pieces, 1 for each side.

Here is a side persuasion to exhibit you lot how the angles volition draw of piece of work 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 pall is completely assembled, at that topographic point volition live tons of tiny gaps betwixt your wood. If you lot are prototype it white, you'll desire to caulk all of the gaps to acquire inwards 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 inwards the corners of your decorative cut down amongst forest filler. Our cuts amongst the mitre box weren't perfect, hence I but filled the gaps amongst 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 inwards how professional person it looks.

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

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

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

I hung the pall earlier I painted it because Jesse was nigh to become 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 uncomplicated process. I primed the forest using Zinsser primer (affiliate link) together with and hence painted it amongst Behr Ultra White inwards a semi-gloss finish. I used a paintbrush to apply the pigment together with a small-scale foam roller to smoothen the brushstrokes.

And that, my friends, is how nosotros made our mantel!

Thanks hence much for stopping yesteryear today. I'm hence so glad you're here! For related posts, you lot tin banking concern check out the following:

How I stacked a bazillion logs.

2 years of horrible decorating decisions. It happens.

A scary one-time post that gives you lot a decent tour of the upstairs.

And the updated version of that tour.

'Til adjacent time!!