How to Make a Mantel From Hardwood Flooring

Measure the width of your fireplace. Add 6 inches. This dimension will be the length of your mantel.

Measure the width of the floorboards, in inches. Divide six by that width. Round the answer up. The result of this is the number of boards you need to make a 6-inch-wide mantel. Cut this number of floorboards, each as long as the length you calculated.

Cut two 6-inch lengths of 1-by-2. Lay the mantel boards side by side, with their ends even. Place one of the 1-by-2 lengths across the mantel boards, one third of the way from the left end. Place the other 2/3 of the way from the left end. Screw them to the mantel boards, using two screws for each mantel board they cross.

Mark the location above the fireplace where you want the mantel to sit, using a grease pencil or crayon. Place the level on this line to make sure the line is level. If it is not, then redraw it.

Measure the thickness of the mantel boards. Place an X this distance below the line you marked, just at the right end of the fireplace. Place another on the left end. Make sure the marks sit on mortar rather than on chimney bricks or stones. If they do not, adjust the height until they do.

Drill a hole at each X. Use a masonry drill bit of the same diameter as the ends of the straight brackets.

Push the ends of the brackets into these holes. Set the mantel board on top of the brackets. For added security, screw the mantel to the brackets, though this step is not strictly necessary. The decision is an aesthetic one. If you do not want screw heads to show in the top of your mantel, then do not attach it to the brackets.