A decorative shelf installed as a mantel dresses up the entire room.
Decorating a room features many elements, including the fireplace. If your fireplace is a blank expanse of bricks, a simple mantel, like a shelf, can dress up the entire room. A Victorian decor requires layers of moldings, decorative brackets and a finely made shelf. On the opposite end of the decorating diaspora, a modern or contemporary scheme would use simple painted brackets and a shelf wide enough for candles, photographs or even a flat-screen television. A fireplace mantelshelf can be completed in one day by a do-it-yourself homeowner. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the width and depth of the fireplace, using a measuring tape. Locate the studs on each side of the fireplace with the stud finder. Mark the center of the studs with a pencil.
2. Measure up from the floor or hearth, marking the desired height of the mantel on the wall. Ask a friend to hold the board in place and look at it from across the room. Adjust the height. Generally a mantel is located three to five rows of bricks above the firebox.
3. Mark the center of the board with a pencil. Measure the width of the fireplace on the board, centering on your pencil mark. Also measure the distance between the studs and mark on the board. Determine if you want the mantel to extend past the decorative supports or flush with the outer edges. Mark and cut the board to fit.
4. Install the brackets according to the package directions, screwing directly to the studs. After installing the first bracket, have your friend hold the board in place while you use the level to ensure the mantel is perfectly horizontal. Mark the wall and install the second bracket.
5. Set the board on top of the brackets, centering on the fireplace. Screw down through the board and into the brackets to secure the new mantel. Use two to four screws per bracket.
Tags: board place, entire room, friend hold, friend hold board, hold board
