How to Make a Cast Stone Resin Mantel

Ornate European fireplaces weren't just carved from wood; they were often sculpted from pure blocks of stone such as marble. Stone is a great-looking and durable material, but very time-consuming and expensive to carve. Consequently, even many old fireplaces were actually fine stone powder and aggregate mixed in a concrete-like material, then cast. Resin casting is very similar but uses pure polymers, without the need for stone aggregates.

Mold release
Plywood
Polyester resin
Liquid hardener
Sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Fabricate the mold. Find a fireplace you want to cast that you can use as a mold. Coat it thoroughly with mold release -- an anti-stick agent. Build a plywood box around the fireplace as close to the fireplace as possible. You can build it in segments, if need be. Pour polyester resin in the box to create the mold. Remove the mold when it's dry.
- 2
  Repair any imperfections such as air pockets you find in the surface of the mold. Fill in any unwanted indentations. Remove unwanted ridges with potter's tools and sandpaper.
- 3
  Build a mold backing out of quality plywood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF). The mold backing must include a floor section too. This is necessary, as you only cast the front of the fireplace. The mold backing should replicate the surface and dimensions to which your finished fireplace will mount.
- 4
  Coat the mold and the mold backing thoroughly with mold release. Mix polyester resin with chemical hardener. Fill the mold gradually. Tap the outside of the mold or even rub it with a vibrating palm sander, without any sandpaper, to ensure that air bubbles rise to the top. Allow the resin to fully cure before removing the molds for faux painting.

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