GORGEOUS RUSTIC DIY FIREPLACE MANTEL

Do you have a fireplace mantel that you are not happy with? Our large brick fireplace and tiny mantel was outdated. Once I painted the fireplace it looked much better, then I got to work on the mantel. Let me show you how I added a gorgeous rustic mantel!

MATERIALS & TOOLS

MATERIALS & TOOLS

two 8′ long 1”x10” pine boards  one 8′ long 1”x4” pine board 1”x2” scrap boards  two 12″x12″ squares of wood veneer  finishing nails wood glue dark walnut stain and rag to apply 220 grit sandpaper Hammer or nail gun Saw

HOW TO BUILD A DIY RUSTIC FIREPLACE MANTEL

Start by removing the old mantel. Pay attention to how it was attached as this will likely be the easiest way to attach your new mantel as well.

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BUILD THE MANTEL FACE

BUILD THE MANTEL FACE

Cut the 10″ boards to the length your finished mantel will be. One of these boards will be the top of the mantel and the other will be the front. Use wood glue and finishing nails to attach the two boards together.

BUILD THE UNDERSIDE OF THE MANTEL

BUILD THE UNDERSIDE OF THE MANTEL

Cut a board to size to fill the gap on the bottom side of the mantel. Attach to the front of the mantel with wood glue and finishing nails.

BUILD THE MANTEL ENDS

BUILD THE MANTEL ENDS

Cut scrap wood into a square to fit snugly into the opening at each end of your mantel. Attach with wood glue and finishing nails. Now you will need to cut a 1” x2” board to fit the small space at the bottom of the mantel on each side. Attach with finishing nails.

STAIN THE MANTEL

STAIN THE MANTEL

Now it's time to stain the mantel. I stained everything using Minwax Dark Walnut stain. I think the dark color is perfect for that rustic wood beam feel I was going for.

ATTACH THE VENEER

ATTACH THE VENEER

This last step is key to helping the mantel look like one slab of wood rather than a bunch of boards nailed together. I attached wood veneer to both ends to cover all of the wood cuts. Then stain the veneer with the same dark walnut stain.

INSTALL YOUR MANTEL

INSTALL YOUR MANTEL

The last step is to attach the new mantel to your fireplace. I removed the wood blocks from the old mantel and attached them to my new mantel using wood glue and nails. Then I fit the mantel into place.

Look at how gorgeous this rustic mantel is! It really looks like one massive chunk of old wood. I love it!

Get the full step-by-step tutorial here.

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