Ideas for Decorative Sheet Metal for a Fireplace Mantel

Base

• Cut a rectangular piece of sheet metal to the dimensions of the flat "shelf" surface of your fireplace mantel. Clear any decorative items off the mantel and put down the sheet metal, forming a shiny new base for the mantel. You can secure the metal to the mantel surface or leave it loose if you don't intend to place any unstable items on top of it. This is a simple yet high-impact way to incorporate decorative sheet metal into your fireplace mantel because such a large percentage of the mantel gets covered.

Dangling Charms

• Hang sheet-metal "charms" from hooks attached to your fireplace mantel if you want to translate the girlish look of a charm bracelet into room decor. For example, line the mantel with dangling sheet-metal stars to impart a sense of astronomical style to the room. Or alternate sheet-metal hearts and the numbers matching the ages of your children. This tableau will show visitors that love for your family warms your heart the same way a fireplace warms a room.

Trim

• Attach strips of sheet metal to the narrow, vertical portions of the fireplace mantel, making out-of-the-ordinary trim. This approach to using decorative sheet metal is particularly appropriate if you have only a small amount of sheet metal or if you don't want to cover too much of the mantel's base color. Using sheet-metal trim on your fireplace mantel will conjure a decorative effect similar to silver leaf, but at significantly lower cost.

Polka Dots

• Sprinkle the top and sides of your fireplace mantel with sheet-metal polka dots if you want to make the room more playful -- while still retaining the sleek, modern look of metal. The overall effect of the shiny metal dots will depend upon the base color of the mantel. For example, affixing tiny sheet-metal dots to a mantel painted gray will yield a subtle accent, while affixing large sheet-metal dots to a mantel painted cherry red will have an eye-popping effect.