Can You Put a Mantle on a Brick Fireplace With a Hearth?

Design

• Choose a mantel design to complement the room's décor. A traditional wood mantel goes well with Early American styles. A sleek, minimalist mantel works with contemporary furnishings. A rugged, weathered, barn-wood mantel is pure country and a vintage, distressed mantel blends right in with shabby chic or Victorian décor.

Positioning

• Measure the firebox surround carefully to match the mantel opening to it as closely as possible. This allows you to avoid the extra work of fitting an oversize mantel to the brick with additional carpentry and elaborate trim. Fire codes require specific distances, in inches, of clearance between the mantel and the firebox opening and local fire ordinances may be different from national codes. Always check all fire codes before ordering a custom mantel or purchasing a stock or recycled one, and go with the strictest regulations to be safe. If the brick extends well beyond the firebox opening, decide how much of it will be covered by the mantel and how much brick should be visible once the mantel is in place.

Stability

• The mantle will hold the weight of whatever decorative items are placed on the shelf. It is also a fairly heavy construction without that added weight. Making sure the mantel is firmly attached to the brick takes a little more work than caulking it to the wall. For greatest stability, screw lengths of lumber directly into the brick and attach the mantel to the lumber. Place the mantel against the wall and pencil its shape onto the wall. Measure inside the hollow frame along the top inside of the mantel shelf and the length of the legs to determine the thickness of the wood. Position boards along the inside of the outline on the wall, allowing for the thickness of the mantel. Screw the boards into the brick, not the mortar, so they will hold. Then fit the mantel over the bracing boards, screw it into the boards along the top and sides next to the wall and countersink the screws so you can cover them with putty later and paint over a smooth surface.

Finishing

• A mantel should look like part of the fireplace, not an add-on. Even a custom mantel will have some gap between the frame and the brick so a little extra carpentry may be necessary to create a seamless connection. Fill in the gaps between mantel and brick surround with edge molding cut to fit snugly inside the mantel frame. Nail the molding to the mantel with small finishing nails. Then put the final coat of paint or stain on your "new" mantel and seal it with protective clear lacquer. Edging the mantel with painter's tape while you apply finishing touches will prevent paint, stain or lacquer from getting on the brick.