Ok, so your stones go all the way up, however they don't protrude a lot like ours does, so it will be easier. Here is how he did it.... He cut a piece of 1/4 " thick paneling --several inches wide and the length we planned on making the mantle. Then he cut a small piece of wood (think of a piece of wood that is the size of a nail file, only thicker) and drilled a hole a few inches back in order to put a pencil through the hole. Hold up the paneling to the stone and run your small piece of wood (with the pencil in it) along the stone (this is the scribing part) and the pencil will be marking the paneling as it follows the stone...thus creating your pattern. Then cut the paneling following the pencil line and that's your pattern for wood that you're using for the mantle. In our fp, because the stone is so thick we had to do this twice, once for the top and once for the bottom. The bungee cords are acting as furniture clamps. Here is a shot of the hollow inside of the mantle The mantle is 3" thick... and due to the protruding stone, depending where it's measured -- it's 9 to 9 1/2 deep I have another photo -- of how we put the clamps on the Fp to instll the mantle, as soon as I locate it in the archives, I'll post it here.

I bought my mantel from Old World Stoneworks and just love it! It looks & feels like real limestone. Once it was installed I put a coat of Prime-A-Pell sealer on it. If anything is spilled on it I can clean it easily. Just get some mild detergent and a soft brush. It is definitely worth the $$$ and is a great focal point to my living room.

Has anyone used a company for cast stone fireplace facades and mantels? If so, what were your experiences with the product and company? Can anyone recommend a reputable company?

you can do it either way. the only issues with what your contractor is planning is, the mantle is more likely to be damaged if installed first, and depending on what you're doing, the stone can eat up mantle space. plenty are done this way, its just things to think about. the alternative is, put up a mounting block of some sort attached to the brick (smaller than mantle), then install stone, attach mantle to mounting block. it really depends on the style of the mantle and stone and the desired look. I would assume that a contractor should be able to install stone around a mantle and no scratch it. my mantle, which isn't in place yet, and the stone isn't in place yet, will be a barn beam. they're not particularly deep, so the plan is to put up a mounting block and attach the beam after the stone, basically on top of the stone to get more of a ledge.