Got a fireplace mantel question? We have the answer | The Mantel Shoppe
We recommend using PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. After you place an order, a representative will contact you with the required tools for measurement if needed. Once the measurements are assessed we will send you the dimensions of the mantel or other products. After your approval of the dimensions you can choose to pay with PayPal, call us with a Visa or Mastercard payment, or arrange another form of payment. Many homebuilders prefer to mail a check which is no problem. If you wish to mail a check we will proceed with the order and wait for reception of your check. Once the check is received the mantel, mantels, or other products will ship the next day or possibly the same day. Call us if you have any questions about the payment process as we are very flexible.
Each Mantel Shoppe Mantel is fully crated in plywood on all four sides to ensure it arrives safely.
Uncrating Your Mantel
Mantel Installation
After receiving your crated mantel follow these steps to install your mantel.
The dimensions for each mantel vary. Every mantel we build is custom built to fit your fireplace. Therefore, there aren't many set dimensions except for dimensions like: shelf depth, breast height, leg width, leg depth, etc. If you can email a picture with measurements of your fireplace, we can draw up exact dimensions of the mantels we can build for you and what we recommend. If you see something you would like to change we can change it for you. Use the Fontana mantel below as a guide for all mantel dimensions.
1.Set full mantel up onto brick hearth and flush back against the brick that runs up the wall. Make sure the mantel is somewhat centered with the fireplace opening (where the wood goes). 2.Make a pencil or chalk mark along the top of the shelf. Once your mark is visible and completely across the top of the shelf take the mantel down off the hearth, away from the fireplace and position the mantel so the pieces on the back of the mantel can be removed. The best way to do this is to lay the mantel on it's face on the floor. Make sure you don't scratch the shelf nosing.
3.Remove the scribe moulding. The scribe pieces are the 3 pre-cut pieces on the back of the mantel. The pieces are attached with 16-gauge brads and a good claw hammer is the best way to remove them. A claw hammer works best because it rolls in such a way as to not damage the scribe moulding. Set the pieces aside.
4. Remove the nailing strip from the mantel. It's okay to claw this piece away from the mantel because the back isn't going to be seen and the nailing strip isn't going to be seen so it can be slightly damaged.
5. Take the nailing strip from the mantel and grab a pencil.
6. Fold the nailing strip over and place the top of the strip on the original mark. This new mark is 3/4" below the top of the mantel because the mantel shelf is 3/4" tall.
7. Roll the strip over so the top of the nailing strip is slightly below the second line. Now make a mark on the bottom of the nailing strip.
8. Drill 4-5 holes into the grout of the brick between the last two marks. Set the strip back up and follow your drilling through the nailing strip into the grout holes.
9. Drill the holes in the nailing strip to match up with the holes in the brick. You may want to drill the holes in the nailing strip and the grout at the same time. Just make sure you're drilling into grout and not brick.
10. After your holes are drilled use blue concrete screws to fasten the strip to the wall. Use the same size as the drill bit used to create the holes and at least 2 inches long. Be careful not to tighten the screws too tight or they will strip out and loosen the grout.
11. Slide the mantel back over the nailing strip and center around the firebox. Once centered, use 16-gauge nails or regular finishing nails to fasten the top of the shelf to the nailing strip.
12. Take the 3 pieces of scribe moulding you took off the back of the mantel and put all three in place back against the brick before nailing. Once you have all three pieces in place and everything fits and looks nice nail the scribe moulding to the mantel.
The gap between the mantel where the scribe moulding goes looks like this before the scribe goes on:
And afterwards it looks like this:
And finally it looks like 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:"
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.
Designing a home can be difficult. While there are any number of choices you can make about your fixtures, you're looking for that perfect feel, and you'd rather not settle for less. When it comes to fireplaces, which traditionally serve as comfy gathering centers, homeowners prefer ultimate comfort. How high should your fireplace mantel be? The answer is not as obvious as you might think. Although the majority of mantels fall within the 48" to 64" range, you shouldn't let yourself be limited by tradition. Your mantel, like the other fixtures in your home, ought to be optimized for your comfort and yours alone. Mantels serve as resting places for casual knickknacks and and holiday stockings, but their origins are actually more functional. Because families used to spend long wintry hours huddled around the fireplace, mantels served as ready shelves for beverages, food, books and the day-to-day items families used most. Even during other seasons, mantels were used regularly because they provided easy access to open space for flowerpots and other decorative items. Your modern family may not be as tied to the fireplace, but you can get a lot of mileage out of your mantel anyway. Think about what you'd like to use it for and then plan the height accordingly. Some common usage suggestions include:
Pick a convenient mantel height that matches all your planned usage needs. Now let's talk about safety. If you have small children, you might want to encourage them to keep them away from the dangerous fireplace. A high mantel that they really have no hope of reaching helps you define this as an adults-only kind of area. Also consider the fact that your furniture will affect your mantel's visibility. You might want to add some height if your fireplace room is already full of tall items and fixtures. When are shorter mantels appropriate? Again, remember that you can really choose anything you think fits in with your room, but it's nice when your mantel matches the fireplace below. If you have a wood stove or other low burner, a shorter mantle might just be the decorative element you need to tie the whole look together.
The scribe moulding which is installed after mounting the mantle is 1/2" wide and will reduce the opening width by 1" and the opening height by 1/2". The scribe is attached to the back of the mantel when shipped.
If you purchase your mantel via the internet it may require quick assembly before installation. You will notice there are holes in the breast of the mantel and "dominoes" in the legs that will insert into the breast. Here are pictures to give you an idea of what to expect.
In many cases, the facing material is a natural material, such as marble, or a rough material, such as brick, which may not be completely straight on the edge. It is recommended that the mantel overlap this material by at least 1/2" to prevent any gaps between the edge of the mantle opening and the facing material. This ensures you will have a straight, even finished edge.
We can build most of our mantels from any type of wood (Poplar, Oak, Maple, Cherry, Beech, Mahogany, Pine, Cypress, Alder, Birch, Walnut, Antique Heart Pine, etc.). There is an extra charge for stain grade materials. We use Poplar for our paint grade applications but Poplar also stains very well and is no extra charge for stain applications. In some of our bigger mantels we use plaster pieces for some of the decorative mantel parts. The species available are listed by each mantel in the "details" pages.
F: Ideal distance from top of profile to bottom of rough TV opening: 17 inches. This varies is your profile header is more than 12 inches.
G: Ideal width of rough opening: 48" for a 42" firebox. 42" for a 36" firebox.
H. Ideal height: 40 inches.
I. Ideal depth: As deep as possible, at least 24 inches to allow doors to slide back. For bi-fold doors depth is not that much of an issue. Just however far back you want your TV to sit.
J. As much as possible. Will usually depend on the height of the ceiling. The safe measurement is to the bottom of the crown moulding. If you have really tall ceilings, tell us how tall and we'll recommend an ideal height.
Depending on what part of the country you are in finding a fireplace will be different for each region. Here are the good ones that we know:-Colonial Fireplace in Pelham, Huntsville, and Robertsdale, AL.-R & R Fireplace in Irondale, AL (205) 951-3211.- Atnip Design In Huntsville, AL.
Mantel style: Mt. Vernon
Wood type: Hickory if possible
Profile type” Brick
Profile depth: 3.250 inches but varies from 3"
Wall width: 100 inches
Profile width: 59 3/8”
Profile Height 40 1/8” to 40 ¼”
Hearth width 59 3/8”-59 ½”
Firebox width 30 ¾”
Firebox Height 19 ½”
Notes
Wall width is measured from the window frame to window frame
D was measured from outside of glass trim to outside of glass trim
E was measured from the top of hearth to outside edge of glass trim
It will be very easy to take the legs to the floor and wrap around the hearth. The scribe molding that hides the gap between the brick and the inside of the mantel will sit on top of the hearth. It is 1/2" thick and it is taken into consideration in the drawing. So where the drawing has an inside width of 58 1/2" the mantel before the scribe molding is attached is actually 59 1/2" wide allowing it to slide down around the outside of the hearth. Your hearth measurement is 59 3/8-59 1/2 so it will work out perfectly.
We create mantels and columns for hundreds of great home builders.
There are too many to list but here are a few with web sites:
Hendel Homes in Wayzata, Minnesota
Horan Building Company in Newport, Rhode Island
Bonacio Construction in Saratoga Springs, New York
Kovens Construction in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Fanatic Finish in New York, New York
Sheffield Construction in Tallahassee, Florida
Team Sun Construction in Rancho Mirage, California
Waterford Home Builders in Hamilton, Virginia
Kovens Contruction in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Cornerstone of Larchmont in Larchmont, New York
R.D. Rice Construction in New York, New York
J. Richard Watson Construction in Ocoee, Florida
Moonlite Electric & Construction in Cary, North Carolina
DiGiovanni Homes in Clearwater, Florida
Cruickshank Remodeling in Atlanta, Georgia
Pizzagalli Construction in Vermont, Maine, and North Carolina
E H Custom Homes in Lewes, Delaware
Tom Woodruff Signature Homes in Midland, Texas
Signature Homes in Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama
Alabama Heritage Homes in Huntsville
HPH Properties in Birmingham and Huntsville
Eddleman Homes in Birmingham
Byrom Building Corp. in Birmingham
Gibson-Anderson in Birmingham
HomeSouth Custom Homes in Birmingham
David Acton Building Corp. in Chelsea, Hoover, Trussville and Birmingham, AL
Tower Development in Hoover and Calera, AL
DKM Homes in Birmingham
Jim Christopher Construction, LLC in Gadsden
Structures, Inc. in Birmingham
Just as we have hundreds of builders, our products find their way to hundreds of different subdivisions. Here are a few with web sites: Shelby Farms in Alabaster, AL
Ross Bridge in Hoover, AL
The Preserve in Hoover, AL
Hillsboro in Helena, AL
Carrington Lakes in Trussville, AL
Chelsea Park in Chelsea, AL
Liberty Park in Birmingham, AL
Lake Cyrus in Hoover, AL
Ballantrae in Pelham
Highland Lakes in Hoover, AL
Trace Crossings in Hoover, AL
Riverwoods in Helena, AL
Limestone Springs in Oneonta, AL
Mt. Laurel in Shelby County, AL
We will install and measure in the Birmingham metro area and usually in the Huntsville area. If you don't live in one of these areas we will gladly be able to assist you in measuring and installing via email, phone, or fax. Here's a link to help you get started with your measurements.
On occasions where a small wall exist around the fireplace we must run the trim into the breast of the mantel due to the limited space. This option is only available on about half of our mantel styles. Here is an example of what we mean by "all trim in front."
The mantel is thoroughly protected during shipment by a 1/2 inch plywood container. There is virtually no chance of damage during shipment unless it is intentional.
We try to stay away from arched mantels because of the problems they create with getting everything else right around the fireplace. Most fireboxes have codes that require wood to be 10-12 inches away from the top of where the heat comes out. Most tile and marble applications are 12 inches standard on the top. If we make an arch, we have to start at the top of the profile 12 inches away and the top of the arch goes up to 16 inches or so leaving a rather large gap. The only way to compensate for this is by putting up a larger profile above the fireplace thus costing our customers more to get their fireplace ready for one of our mantels. Also, this raises the mantel height several inches. With flat panel televisions being so popular, above the fireplace is a prime spot for hanging the television. Most of our customers don't want the television to be too tall so this is another reason we stay away from arched mantels. The final reason is our scribe molding. Our scribe molding is a major part of our mantel design and it isn't thin enough to really bend around the inside of the mantel to create a perfect fit while maintaining the style of the mantel.
"This is a picture of our new mantel. We love it and I tell everyone about the wonderful service your company provides to the homeowner who is looking to replace or ...