Ortario, You are right and read what I intended to say 8 inch by 10 inch by 8 feet, or 4.4 Cu Feet, yes that is a bit too much for me to handle given the large size and shape, coupled with close quarters. Thanks,

I don't know if you're still checking this thread, but if you haven't yet made a decision, you might want to look at Waterlox. I think you can apply it over linseed oil, but you might want to check with the manufacturer -- they're great about answering questions if you give them a call. (No affiliation. I used Waterlox on my floor and ended up making several phone calls.) You might also check with them as to whether the usual horse-related chemical aerosols (fly spray, ShowSheen, clipper lube, etc.) will ruin the finish. BTW, I love the "Barn McMansion" term. LOL And is this the subk from COTH? I've been in tons of barns over the years and I think most of them were either raw wood with natural "patina" (patina = all sorts of stuff accumulated on the wood after years of horse occupation) or whitewash. But I'll bet your white oak would look fantastic with a finish that would accentuate the grain. Lorree

Yes ours has the same "summer cover" that Jane has but it is still the original black. They weigh a ton. We found ours in the little house wrapped in a towel. They were supposed to be donated during the WW II for the war effort to make ammunition...thank goodness it was hidden. There are many missing in our area though. Our LR fp backs up to the DR and they share the same original chimney with gas /coal Victorian inserts. The kitchen and MBR share the same chase that we had installed so they would be vented gas fp's. Both are gas/coal Victorian inserts too. We get a lot of nice heat from all 4 of them in the winter. The foyer is not usable...show only. The mantle clock was my Grandfather's. It still works but DH hates to hear it so it is not on at the moment. I need Jane to come and decorate !! WOW that is so beautiful !!!! cat_mom...I don't guess we talked about it...too much else to share :)

Our mantle is a reclaimed barn floor joist. It weighs aprx 100-150lbs, measures 8" tall, 15' deep and 5' wide. Our builder tried to route out the back to insert wood blocks to secure to wall, but the beam is so old, it started falling apart. In a bid to salvage the piece I spent so much time, energy and money on.. this is what we've come up with to secure it to the wall. Unfortunately, even with these 3 brackets, it's not secure enough. I contacted a custom metal fabricator with the idea of doing iron corbel/brackets that wrap all the way around the beam, attaching to studs on the top and bottom. Only problem with this is it would have to be built to accommodate the rock around the bracket and I'm not sure how they'll do that. Any other ideas to make sure this thing doesn't come down?