Fireplace Mantel Renovation - Easier Than You Think!

In this day and age of endless renovation and decoration and diy shows and magazines, we are inundated with information on how to style your house – you walls, your closets, your office, your linens … but an often overlooked, perfect opportunity is that old brick fireplace which you have ended up covering with a Japanese room divider screen because it reminds you too much of the era of it's last renovation. (ie. the 80's) Not to mention that anything involving brick can be an intimidating prospect for home diy’ers.

Well, good news! First of all, not everyone has an old brick surround that they don’t know what to do with. Many of us have been faced with a fireplace that is just that – no tile, no hearth, no surround, no mantel. So this is akin to walking into a room with white walls. Your imagination is the limit, and you have nothing stopping you from adding any combination of the above, in any style or material that you choose. And second of all, if you are one of the unlucky to inherit a fireplace with shiny green enameled tiles surrounding a smoky old brick fireplace … well, you need a little more imagination, but there’s luck for you too. I don’t think I’ve found a fireplace yet that has a surround or mantel that couldn’t be painted, or covered or replaced – often for a lot less than you would think.

So what are the options? Hang on to your fireplace shovels, this list could get long! Let’s start with a few options and either I’ll get tired writing, or you’ll get tired reading … whichever comes first, I’m sure that you’ll at least find one idea that will fit in with your grand decorating scheme.

Q: You have old red brick around your fireplace floor to ceiling, but your house is a modern muted single tone color scheme: A: paint the brick in your single tone color scheme, and install a fireplace mantel shelf over top of the fireplace in the same color. This could be anything from rustic wood (painted of course), to Italian Renaissance ornate. Optional: install a hearth in a shade slightly darker than your chosen mono-tone surround and shelf.

Q: You have the dreaded green enamel / porcelain tile surround with a cream colored fake marble shelf. A: Take the shelf off. Find a one-piece surround and custom order so it is deep enough to just cover the existing surround. The mantel shelf is integrated with the surround, so that’s it!

Q: You have a new fireplace with no surround. A: Easy. Surf until you find a style you like, check the measurements, go shopping! (and remember, on-line shopping is no more hassle than bringing your measurements to a local store and waiting for delivery ... except your choices are unlimited, you can comparison shop more easily, and you don’t have to go driving around from store to store).

Q: …. So, are you starting to get the picture? A: Yes, fireplace mantel makeovers are actually just as easy as painting a room or putting up shelves. I don’t know why I haven’t considered doing it sooner!

I hope I’ve given you some inspiration and some new ideas about installing or replacing your fireplace mantels or surrounds. I know when I finally got around to renovating my fireplace, it made a world of difference in my decor. I finally had a proper focal point, and everything else in my decorating design just fell into place and looked twice as good as if I hadn’t done the fireplace. Good Luck with yours!

Fireplace Mantels ideas and information.