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Fireplaces: Guide to Mantels and Surrounds
Material choices
Under most circumstances, you'll be choosing separate materials for mantel and facing. The latter must be a noncombustible material such as tile, brick, metal, cast concrete, or stone.
Wood
For a truly classic-looking mantel, or for some rustic styles, wood is the top choice. The best wood mantels are like pieces of fine heirloom furniture -- made of hardwood or fruitwood, beautifully stained and sealed with hand-rubbed finishes. They can be plain, adorned with simple decorative paneling and molding, or elaborately carved. A mantel of lower-grade hardwood or softwood can also be charming when painted -- either a solid color or antiqued, distressed, or even painted with a faux-marble finish.
Stone and rock
These are timeless, nearly indestructible materials for mantels and facings. A surround of natural rock must be constructed on-site by a mason. One alternative -- cultured stone -- allows you to have a natural rock look (actually a veneer) that weighs only about a quarter as much as natural stone.
If you don't want the rustic or "natural" look, consider a prefabricated or custom stone mantel of marble, granite, limestone, or slate -- elegant if expensive. Among carved styles, the least costly are imported machine-carved marble mantels; hand-carved ones are true luxury items.
Cast stone replicates the look of hand-cut limestone. Cast limestone actually contains crushed limestone; less costly types of cast stone may not. Styles run the gamut from spare, clean-lined looks to mantels that appear ornately carved.
Brick and tile
Brick is the longtime traditional facing for fireplaces, but a wide range of looks can be produced with it depending on what kind and color of bricks you use and what pattern you lay them in. Brick is heavy, so you may need extra structural support if you use a lot of it.
Versatile tile, either stone or ceramic, comes in nearly endless colors, finishes, and styles -- from sleek polished granite squares to pebbly surfaced ceramics or charming blue and white Delft.
For a contemporary look, install tiles as a wide facing only, without the surrounding mantel or even mantel shelf. Or use a tile facing within a full mantel surround. One manufacturer of gas fireplaces lets you change the tile for different looks: 4-by-4 tiles slip into a frame mounted to the drywall.
Metal
Mantels and surrounds of metal may be historical reproductions or sleekly contemporary. A cast-bronze mantel in Victorian style may feature a hand-rubbed gold or verdigris finish. Cutting-edge styles -- gleaming surrounds of rolled steel and even stainless steel tiles -- must be custom-designed.
Plaster and gypsum
Poured in molds, plaster mantels tend to have a smooth finish. They can also have more intricate detailing than most carved-wood pieces, and you can paint the plaster to match your decor. Like plaster, glass fiber–reinforced gypsum offers ornate detailing achieved by casting in molds.
Under most circumstances, you'll be choosing separate materials for mantel and facing. The latter must be a noncombustible material such as tile, brick, metal, cast concrete, or stone.
Wood
For a truly classic-looking mantel, or for some rustic styles, wood is the top choice. The best wood mantels are like pieces of fine heirloom furniture -- made of hardwood or fruitwood, beautifully stained and sealed with hand-rubbed finishes. They can be plain, adorned with simple decorative paneling and molding, or elaborately carved. A mantel of lower-grade hardwood or softwood can also be charming when painted -- either a solid color or antiqued, distressed, or even painted with a faux-marble finish.
Stone and rock
These are timeless, nearly indestructible materials for mantels and facings. A surround of natural rock must be constructed on-site by a mason. One alternative -- cultured stone -- allows you to have a natural rock look (actually a veneer) that weighs only about a quarter as much as natural stone.
If you don't want the rustic or "natural" look, consider a prefabricated or custom stone mantel of marble, granite, limestone, or slate -- elegant if expensive. Among carved styles, the least costly are imported machine-carved marble mantels; hand-carved ones are true luxury items.
Cast stone replicates the look of hand-cut limestone. Cast limestone actually contains crushed limestone; less costly types of cast stone may not. Styles run the gamut from spare, clean-lined looks to mantels that appear ornately carved.
Brick and tile
Brick is the longtime traditional facing for fireplaces, but a wide range of looks can be produced with it depending on what kind and color of bricks you use and what pattern you lay them in. Brick is heavy, so you may need extra structural support if you use a lot of it.
Versatile tile, either stone or ceramic, comes in nearly endless colors, finishes, and styles -- from sleek polished granite squares to pebbly surfaced ceramics or charming blue and white Delft.
For a contemporary look, install tiles as a wide facing only, without the surrounding mantel or even mantel shelf. Or use a tile facing within a full mantel surround. One manufacturer of gas fireplaces lets you change the tile for different looks: 4-by-4 tiles slip into a frame mounted to the drywall.
Metal
Mantels and surrounds of metal may be historical reproductions or sleekly contemporary. A cast-bronze mantel in Victorian style may feature a hand-rubbed gold or verdigris finish. Cutting-edge styles -- gleaming surrounds of rolled steel and even stainless steel tiles -- must be custom-designed.
Plaster and gypsum
Poured in molds, plaster mantels tend to have a smooth finish. They can also have more intricate detailing than most carved-wood pieces, and you can paint the plaster to match your decor. Like plaster, glass fiber–reinforced gypsum offers ornate detailing achieved by casting in molds.
