I have a gold brick firace in my 1956 Cape Cod. It is more like slabs of sandstone cut to the height of bricks, but 2' long each. There is a gray stone mantle. I can remove that mantle but I would like to keep the brick. I bought a wood mantle with side "legs." I painted it white to match my trim. How do I attach it over and around the brick? It didn't come with any instructions.

What do you mean by stained? Zinsser makes a waterproofing paint that is good for painting concrete block.

OK, NOW you're getting into stuff that's WAY over my head! LOL I wanted quick and easy facelift, not major renovation! MAYBE if I were doing this WITH my husband we would go for removing the paneling, repairing the wall below it, removing the railing, etc. but this is something I want to get done in his absence when he's visiting family for a week. If we were to remove the railing, there would be major wall repairs to be done, AND, I'm not so confident that the bottom half is in as good shape as the top half.... previous owners let their dog do a LOT of damage in the house and for all I know there is scratched and chewed sheetrock under there, or worse! And, hey... nothing says that I won't go back in a year and decide I DO want to go further with this and THEN I can take on removing the paneling. This will be my FIRST project..... if I find I enjoy it, then maybe I'll want to take it to the next level. Baby steps. :) Sue

Actually, I think the furniture is 1960’s. (been there). Paint it and choose another fabric. I like this for your inspiration: