Mantel project in progress (Completed)
I've been working on a mantel for our living room. The old owners of the house took their mantel when we bought the place a year ago. I got the top part of the mantel done last December, in time to hang Christmas stockings from it. But I dawdled for some time getting the vertical sides done. Well I finally got back on the project a month or so ago. After a delay while the wall was built in the garage, I am back on it again.
I got the sides (verticals) made. I stained the second one last night. The next step was going to be to clear coat them and get them on the wall. However, I decided after staining the last piece that it needs something more. So I picked up a plank of paduch (padauk, whichever spelling is correct) and will be running a strip along the center vertical groove in them to add some character and contrast. Hopefully I can get a good start on that step tonight.
Picture #1 is showing how I routed the back on the right side vertical to allow me to run the wiring from the TV above the mantel down to where they need to go.
#2 shows how I've counter-sunk keyhole hardware to I am using to mount the parts to the wall. Because the mantel is being attached to a brick facade and I wanted to have it anchored to the mortar between the bricks, it was necessary (or at least it was the best way I could think of to be 100% accurate) to put my concrete screws into the mortar between the bricks first THEN mark where they need to be on the three mantel sections.
The 3rd attached photo shows the two stained but unfinished mantel verticals.
I installed the concrete screws. Made a cardboard pattern of each piece and placed them against the wall and used a rubber mallet to transfer the screw head placement to the cardboard pattern. Then I used the cardboard pattern to accurately place the keyhole locations on the wood.
I do have two issues, however, with the project. Only one of which I can do much about.
One issue is that I may have to go back and remove the high gloss finish on it all. The top (horizontal "shelf") section is already finished in the high gloss polyurethane so I will also finish the verticals that way. But I fear that when it's done it is simply going to be too damn glossy for the surrounding wall and decor. It's already so glossy it's tough to get a decent picture. But the glossy is causing the contouring to be lost, visually.
My brother, who owns a cabinet shop, says that all they stock is glossy poly and if a customer wants a matte finish they just go over it lightly with 000 steel wool. So at least I won't have three pieces to "refinish" if my wife and I do decide that the gloss is just too much.
And the other issue, which is a biggie in my opinion, is that the fireplace is NOT quite centered in the brick corner section of the wall. I made the top of the mantel to center well on the wall, figuring that was the lesser of two evils and hoping that would look better than to have it off center to accommodate the fireplace, which would make the mantel seem lopsided. But when I dry fit the mantel verticals I noticed that it really makes the fact that the fireplace itself is not quite centered stand out more than I had hoped. The result: the mantel looks "lopsided".
I don't think I can do anything about the centering issue. I just hope the finished project doesn't look screwed up because of it. The spacing on one side is about an inch wider than on the other. It doesn't sound like much but it's obvious upon sight.
I've been working on a mantel for our living room. The old owners of the house took their mantel when we bought the place a year ago. I got the top part of the mantel done last December, in time to hang Christmas stockings from it. But I dawdled for some time getting the vertical sides done. Well I finally got back on the project a month or so ago. After a delay while the wall was built in the garage, I am back on it again.
I got the sides (verticals) made. I stained the second one last night. The next step was going to be to clear coat them and get them on the wall. However, I decided after staining the last piece that it needs something more. So I picked up a plank of paduch (padauk, whichever spelling is correct) and will be running a strip along the center vertical groove in them to add some character and contrast. Hopefully I can get a good start on that step tonight.
Picture #1 is showing how I routed the back on the right side vertical to allow me to run the wiring from the TV above the mantel down to where they need to go.
#2 shows how I've counter-sunk keyhole hardware to I am using to mount the parts to the wall. Because the mantel is being attached to a brick facade and I wanted to have it anchored to the mortar between the bricks, it was necessary (or at least it was the best way I could think of to be 100% accurate) to put my concrete screws into the mortar between the bricks first THEN mark where they need to be on the three mantel sections.
The 3rd attached photo shows the two stained but unfinished mantel verticals.
I installed the concrete screws. Made a cardboard pattern of each piece and placed them against the wall and used a rubber mallet to transfer the screw head placement to the cardboard pattern. Then I used the cardboard pattern to accurately place the keyhole locations on the wood.
I do have two issues, however, with the project. Only one of which I can do much about.
One issue is that I may have to go back and remove the high gloss finish on it all. The top (horizontal "shelf") section is already finished in the high gloss polyurethane so I will also finish the verticals that way. But I fear that when it's done it is simply going to be too damn glossy for the surrounding wall and decor. It's already so glossy it's tough to get a decent picture. But the glossy is causing the contouring to be lost, visually.
My brother, who owns a cabinet shop, says that all they stock is glossy poly and if a customer wants a matte finish they just go over it lightly with 000 steel wool. So at least I won't have three pieces to "refinish" if my wife and I do decide that the gloss is just too much.
And the other issue, which is a biggie in my opinion, is that the fireplace is NOT quite centered in the brick corner section of the wall. I made the top of the mantel to center well on the wall, figuring that was the lesser of two evils and hoping that would look better than to have it off center to accommodate the fireplace, which would make the mantel seem lopsided. But when I dry fit the mantel verticals I noticed that it really makes the fact that the fireplace itself is not quite centered stand out more than I had hoped. The result: the mantel looks "lopsided".
I don't think I can do anything about the centering issue. I just hope the finished project doesn't look screwed up because of it. The spacing on one side is about an inch wider than on the other. It doesn't sound like much but it's obvious upon sight.