We refaced our brick fireplace with tile. Stock mantles from Lowes or HD came in either 5' or 6' mantles, we needed 5' 4", so my husband made his own. You can see what we did at the following link.

Here is a link that might be useful: fireplace remodel

we built our own mantle/surround using premium grade lumber from lowes and used a 1x4 for the mantle, we wanted a small mantle. I put 1x6's on the wall, fluted trim on top of that, and corned bead on both edges. A 1x12 jointed piece of finish grade panel in between the 1 by's, then put a crown moulding box around the 1x12 with gussets to hold it in place, and the 1x4 mantle on top of the 1x12 and crown moulding, with a piece of flat moulding around the edges, then put some decorative stuff on it. It turned out really nice.

Hi new2gardenfl

We built a mantle & surround, I'm going to try to post a picture but I'm not good at this sort of thing, so it may not work. This is the before picture. Here goes:

And this is the after photo:

Cordovamom, your fireplace turned out great. It is definately something to be proud of! I'm in a similar situation. The 5' pre-made mantle is too small and 6' is too large. I think the pre-made Lowes mantle/surround kits are pricey.

jcal, thanks for the information. I have never worked with molding before, so I am not familiar with everything that you listed. I plan to spend some more time in the molding department to become better familiar with what is available.

MissRubyBegonia, your mantle looks like just what I am looking for. It will fit in with the style of my home and fireplace location. My house is 80's contemporary, but my furnishings are traditional garage style. LOL. So I want something that looks traditional but with clean lines. Your's fits the bill.

How did you make it? What materials did you use and how is it attached to the wall. Was it made in one piece and then attached or were separate pieces attached and then trimmed out with the molding? I know, I know, so many questions. LOL.

Hi new2,
I agree cordovasmom's fireplace is beautiful. Sounds like you already have tile though right, & need to put something around it? This is basically 3, three sided boxes with the crown molding on top. Yes they were built separately, and then attached to lumber that was screwed into the wall studs. The first thing you need to do is go look at wood & wood moldings. I went to a specialty lumber store that specializes in hardwoods, because they had a zillion different moldings. I walked around & held things up together. I think I used poplar which wasn't too expensive, but you should look at what wood appeals to you as this will be a focal point in your home. Also look at lots of pictures of mantles to see what appeals to you. Mine has 1x6 sides & a 1x8 top then a 4' crown. I actually built the mantle out of foam core board I had on hand to help me visualize the proportions. The little trims make a big difference. We put small 45 degree trim on the side pieces. I'll send you a detail picture of that. Also a trim I think was called beading between the side pieces and the top piece & then again between the top piece & the crown. I helped design this & sanded & stained & polyurethaned it but a carpenter actually installed it. I seem to remember the nail gun was key to this project!
I think if you come up with a good plan, your brother in law can do it. Jcal, do you have a picture of your mantel?
Miss Ruby

I'm hoping this picture won't be so in-your-face huge as the last two. You can see the little molding we put in the corners here & the beading which is only about a inch & 1/2 wide. The other thing you might want to do is price this whole project out with the lumber, stain, wood conditioner, polturethane, sandpaper, steel wool, latex gloves, wood filler, extra wood you have to buy because of mistakes in the cuts, beer for the brother-in-law, etc. Then go back to Lowes & see how much money you'll save buying a ready made mantel;-).

Here's what I built out of MDF, MDF window casings, wood crown molding, plaster corbels, and travertine tiles.

Thanks to both of you for your kind comments. I also love your fireplace remodel Ruby -- looks amazing. I think it's wonderful that with all the different materials out there, the ideas for fireplace remodels are endless. The basic technique may be the same, but you can dress up your fireplace as much or as little as you like. I perused the web for ideas for months before we did ours, I saw a lot of great fireplace redos each of them unique. Good luck with yours!

Cordovamom,
Not only is your fireplace beautiful, but what's amazing is how you completely transformed that room from dark & heavy, to warm & inviting. All I can say about vetupete's fireplace is WOW!. I think I'll take my humble little mantle & just quietly slink away now....

New2: pictures of your fireplace would be great too.

ventupete, that is a v-e-r-y impressive fireplace. You are very creative!

MissRuby, I need to learn how to post pics. LOL.

Cordovamom, I definately need to come up with a plan fast. My b-i-l will be over in before Thanksgiving to do the mantle. No pressure. LOL.

Thanks. In the interest of marital harmony :) I should have mentioned that my wife did the painting and antiquing on it. FYI, if you do a painted finish (antique, faux, etc.) it makes the job of building it a lot more forgiving as it's easy to correct mistakes and fill in gaps, nail holes, etc. without any visible signs.

Here is a before and a during link - tiling still to be done. $150 or so in materials. Maple mantle, Poplar surround. Weekend project including painting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireplace

I've done it all. Installing the fireplace, facing it, and building my own mantle. Keep in mind that a fireplace is an investment and adds value to the home. I kept this in mind when I was deciding on materials. I used something know as thin brick. It's real brick but only a half-inch thick! Cost about $80.00 for seven square feet. But well worth the price.
For the mantle I was a little particular. I did my homework and saw the high $$$ of my style and preference. So I bought a ten foot by four inch by twelve inch piece of white pine wood from North Carolina. I live in Jersey and this dimension of wood is hard to find around here where everything is a homedepot or a lowes. But the wood wasn't completely dried either. Not a problem, cause I like a real wood and warp like appearance. A friend did the carpentry and staining. I couldn't be happier. My point was don't settle for veneer or tile if it's not going to pay you dividens! Good luck.

New2
Just curious. Did you get your new mantle built by Thanksgiving? If so share your story.

missrubybegonia
(sorry two id names due to log-in difficulties)

Here's a traditional surround mantle that I designed for my carpenter to build.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I ended up not building one. I started designing one and picked up a bunch of wood & mouldings. Then, I found one that was the right size and very similar to what I had designed. It was $150 on craigslist. It was a great find. I still need to paint it and my living room also.

Thanks!

Hello,
Are the submitted photos above of "prefab" fireplaces, or are they masonry built? I need to repair, replace a heatilator fireplace and am wondering how to proceed.
Thanks, salbwil

Has anyone done a surround with glass tiles, or a surround that did not cover the entire space under the mantle?