How to Measure for Fireplace Mantels

-For normal single fireplace mantels use only measurements A-E.
-For double fireplace mantels use A-E and include measurement from floor to tallest point possible.
-For fireplace mantels with TV Cabinets use all measurements.
-This diagram is for basic tile, marble, slate, etc. fireplaces. For brick, stone, and similar materials scroll down the page.

how-to-measure-mantel

A. Profile Width (width of tile, marble, granite, brick, etc.:specify which)

B. Profile Height

C. HearthWidth (width of profile on the floor)

D. Firebox Width (where the heat actually comes out)

E. Firebox Height (the height of the actual firebox where the heat comes out plus the space above the hearth and below the firebox. Height from TOP OF HEARTH to TOP OF FIREBOX OPENING)

F. Distance above the profile to the TV rough opening

G. Width of the rough opening

H. Height of the rough opening

I. Depth of the rough opening (back of the wall to the very front of the wall, sheetrock to sheetrock)

J. Distance from the very top of the rough opening to the tallest safe point (crown molding, ceiling, windows, etc.)

If there are any obstructions (plugs, doors, window, trip, small children, etc.) it may affect the size of the fireplace mantel. Please let us know if anything may have the slightest chance of interfering with the mantel. If you are not sure it is best to contact us. The best way to ensure your fireplace mantel fits perfectly is to email a digital picture or mail us a picture of your fireplace.

Things to watch for:


Windows close to the fireplace will definitely affect the mantel. Make sure you give us the maximum amount of mantel shelf space allowed between the windows and whether or not the firebox is off-centered.	If you have a brick profile where the hearth is the same width as the rest of the profile we will need a measurement of the hearth height.


For Brick Profiles with no hearth use this diagram. The Profile Height is the overall height of the brick directly off the floor. The Profile Width is the overall width of the brick. The firebox height and width are taken because of fire codes.	Also measure the Profile Depth to see how far the brick protrudes from the wall.


If you have a situation like this you'll want to hide all of the brick with a double mantel. Give us the measurements of 1)firebox width and height 2)width of brick side to side 3)height from floor to ceiling 4)depth of the brick	And let us turn it into this!

For situations where a mantel must wrap around an exteneded profile we use a "Cabinet Mantel." Here is a situation that would require a "Cabinet Mantel:"

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A "Cabinet Mantel" is a mantel with an exceptionally deep return such as this Sharpsburg Mantel:

"Cabinet Mantels" are the regular price listed plus $200 or possibly more depending on the exact depth of the mantel.

Call or email us for a quote.


This particular fireplace has a bumpout in the wall which will interfere with the mantel shelf because of it's proximity to the fireplace. If you have a similar situation we will need you to measure the width of the wall the fireplace is on and the depth of the bumpout.	Take a look at the shelf and you can see that the crown molding on the mantel wraps around the bumpout in the wall while the mantel leg stays on the front of the wall.


This fireplace has a pretty severe shelf restriction.	We fit the tight situation using our "all trim in front" technique for a perfect fit.


This fireplace is pretty ideal and straight-forward. We just need the measurements of the tile width and height off the hearth.	This is an ideal fit. The home owner also used our faux glaze technique to match our display mantels.


This fireplace is off-centered on a wall close to the door. The measurements we need for this type of application are the firebox width and height and the distance from the firebox over to the door trim on the left side.	This is our Hartford Mantel altered to fit the available space.

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Here is a situation where there is a small wall, normally too small for a mantel. However, since the wall 45º on both sides we can cut our shelf to fit the wall giving us the space we need to successfully fit a fireplace mantel. After we solve that problem we have to take a look at the hearth situation. The hearth is barely wider than the marble profile on the wall. Our mantel legs need to go beyond the hearth to match up to the wall profile. Since the hearth sticks up above the hardwoods we will need to notch the feet. Photos of how we do this are to the right.


This is another instance where the brick profile on the wall and the brick hearth are the same width. However, we have limited shelf space due to a small wall.	When this is the case we will let the mantel feet set on top of the hearth and the mantel returns will go all the way to the floor to provide a nice clean finishe

In this situation, our customer wanted to replace a very simple mantel with one of our more elaborate mantels. Here is what needs to be measured:

Profile Width and Height
In this case it is the tile around the fireplace. It may be necessary to remove the existing mantel to see exactly how far behind the mantel the tile goes.

Firebox Width and Height

Wood mantels are based around firebox dimensions due to heat and fire codes for combustible material. Fireboxes are measured on the inside, where the heat actually comes out.

Hearth

It is important to measure the hearth to let us know where to rest the outside of the mantel legs. This is a raised hearth with an ideal amount of width outside of the profile width.

This customer chose our Newport Mantel out of cherry and her fireplace was transformed into this!