How to Mount Fireplace Mantels

Wooden fireplace mantels are lighter than other types and easier to install.

Your fireplace mantel frames your fireplace and creates a focal point in the room. A mantel is a good place to display photos and other collectibles. Without a mantel, your fireplace can look unfinished and naked. Adding a mantel is a fairly straightforward task. Mantels can be ordered in all sizes and all materials. Popular materials include stone, marble and wood. Because of their size and weight, stone and marble mantels should be installed by a professional, but a homeowner can easily order and install a wood mantel. Check your local building codes when ordering the mantel to make sure that the wood isn't installed too closely to the fire.

Things You'll Need

• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Drill
• Level
• Deck screws or concrete screws
• Phillips-head Screwdriver
• Finish nails
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Assemble the mantel according to the manufacturer's instructions

2. Dry-set the mantel at the spot where you intend to place it and check it with your level. Mark the top ledge of the shelf and both ends of the mantel on the wall with pencil. You may need a friend to help you position the mantel properly and mark it. Move the mantel to the side.

3. Cut mounting cleats for the mantel. A mounting cleat is simply a piece of 2-by-4 attached directly to the wall. The mantel is attached to the cleat. Measure the mantel's top ledge from inside the mantel. Cut a piece of 2-by-4 that fit inside this space. Do the same on both sides of the mantel.

4. Position the mounting cleat for the top and both sides of the mantel on the brick wall where the mantel will be placed. Find a stud and pre-drill a hole through the mounting cleat and into the wall. If drilling into masonry, use a masonry bit to pre-drill a hole through the brick first and then drill through the mounting cleat with a wood drill. Use deck screws or concrete screws to attach the mounting cleat to the wall depending on which type of material you are driving the screws into.

5. Fit the mantel over the mounting cleats. The mantel shelf should fit securely over the cleats. Check with your level.

6. Secure the mantel to the cleats. Drive finish nails through the top of the mantel shelf into the mounting cleat. Do the same on both sides of the mantel. Space the finish nails 6 to 8 inches apart. Cover the nail holes with wood putty.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan to paint or stain your mantel, do it before you hang it. Keep touch-up paint on hand to touch up nail holes or scratches after the mantel has been installed.

References

• This Old House: How to Install a Mantel