Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 1999 08:26am | #1

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   Dear George,

   It sounds like a job for a good carpenter, If the mantle is installed right then it should look like it was always there. Scribing a 6 X 6 to highly irregular stone will be challenging. A clear, mixed grain, without checks, timber is your best bet for pulling this off. I would relive or hollow out the back of the mantle so that a 1 by thickness remained at the top and bottom mantle surfaces. The ends will have to be left thicker as the end grain would probably fall out if it was thinned down to 1 by. I would drill 3/4 in holes in the face of the mantle and countersink lag bolts in these holes to mount the mantle. Mount the mantle loosely to the rock and scribe it all the way around. Cut to your scribe line with a jigsaw, backcutting as mush as reasonable. Remount the mantle and re-scribe to fit more closely, repeat this step until it fits well. Make square end pegs with chamfered edges to trim lag bolt holes. Mortar colored caulk or mortar to fill any gaps and appropriate wood finish to completion. You may need a bigger timber than a 6 X 6 as the scribing process will significantly reduce the size of the timber. This is a carpenters approach, a stone cutter or msaon may choose to solve this problem differently. I put a 6 x 6 Doug fir mantle above my chest high river rock fireplace surround, we like it very much. Good luck.

   Joe

2. 
   george_daniels | Oct 06, 1999 05:35pm | #2

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   Joe,
   Good Morning,
   Thanks for your response to my question of putting a mantle up. Your directions and suggestions are great.
   Have a great day
   George

1. 
   Ben_Carnes | Oct 06, 1999 05:54pm | #3

   *If you don't mind seeing the mounting holes and pegs in the front Joe's idea is straight forward and should work well. If you want a more blind attachment you might try putting the lags in first (or even grouting in some anchor bolts) and drilling matching holes in the back of the timber to slide it onto the bolts. I was asked by a designer to install a "limestone" shelf in her dining room. It was a manufactured piece that measured about 11" X 11" X 6' and weighed about two hundred fifty pounds. The 1-1/2" angle-iron mounting brackets were bolted to the studs before drywalling, but the gist of the hanging was that there were horizontal iron pieces coming straight out of the wall to which I applied generous amounts of sub-floor adhesive and slid the "box" onto. It worked great and six years later hasn't budged...probably never will... hope nobody ever wants to move it...-BenView Image

1. 
   george_daniels | Oct 06, 1999 08:33pm | #4

   *Ben,Good Morning,When you slid the mantle onto the bolts, how did you apply the pressure to hold the mantle in place while the sub-floor adhesive set. Could I use the same adhesive for a wooden mantle??Have agreat dayGeorge

1. 
   Ben_Carnes | Oct 08, 1999 09:31am | #5

   *Hey George!Yes, subfloor glue (construction adhesive, PL200, Beats The Crap Out Of Nails, or any of those) would work just fine with bolts and wood. The weight of the mantle I did was enough to keep the pressure down on the glue. I would think if you had 5/8" or 3/4" lags (the drilled holes for the heads would be, what, about 1" or 1-1/8") and mostly filled the holes with glue (once all the scribing had been done) the bolts would embed themselves into the glue and your only concern would be keeping it held "to" the stone until the glue hardened somewhat.Best to you,-BenView Image

3. 
   george_daniels | Oct 08, 1999 09:34am | #6

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   I have a existing fieldstone fire place. Would like to put a 6"x6"x6'pine board for a mantel. Does any one have plans or describtion on how to mount this to a existing fieldstone wall??
   Thanks George