Fireplace Mantels (An In-Depth Guide With Pictures) (2024)

Fireplace mantels can be a common feature among openfireplaces.

Mantels can help to enhance a fireplace and allow it tobecome a focal point for a room.

The area above a fireplace can look bare without a manteland so a mantelpiece has become a staple for many homes on which decorationsand other personal belonging can be placed.

We have a number of mantlepieces in the family and so we’vetogether this complete guide to mantels that includes:

• What mantels are and whether one is required.
• How mantels are attached to walls.
• What materials mantels are commonly made from.
• Codes and regulations for mantels to helpprotect them from fires.

What Is A FireplaceMantel?

A fireplace mantel, also known as a mantelpiece,commonly refers to the flat area located at the top of a fireplace. Amantel may also be referred to as the ‘shelf’ on a fireplace surround.

This flat area of a mantel provides an opportunity toplace household items on top of the fireplace to help it become more of afeature point for a home.

A mantel is defined as:

‘A shelf above a fireplace opening’

Dictionary.com

A fireplace mantel can typically be found in one of twoforms:

• A ‘floating’ mantel or mantel ‘shelf’.
• A mantel as part of a complete fireplacesurround.

A mantel can be found on its own (not part of a surround).This can often be referred to as a floating mantel or mantel shelf andcan sit above a fireplace opening.

We don’t personally have a standalone mantel in our home,but the image below shows what one would look like.

A mantel can also be found as part of a completefireplace surround. Surrounds typically include mantels, legs and sometimesthe hearth.

As an example, the wooden fireplace surround for the old gasfireplace we removed from our kitchen had an integrated mantel on which wecould decorate.

Why Do Fireplaces HaveMantels?

The purpose of a fireplace mantel was traditionally tocatch smoke before it entered the room from the firebox of an open fireplace,but mantels in more modern times are used primarily for decorative andaesthetic purposes.

The purpose of a fireplace mantel is to:

• Help make a fireplace stand out and become afocal point for a room, especially when part of a surround.
• Help a fireplace fit in with the décor of a homethanks to a choice of materials and styles available for mantels and surrounds.
• Provide a shelf on which decorative householditems can be placed.
• Cover the lintel and any joints around the topof a fireplace opening between the firebox and the wall of the chimney breast.

Do You Need A FireplaceMantel?

A fireplace does not need to be furnished with a mantel,but a mantel can enhance the look of a fireplace either as part of fireplacesurround or as a standalone mantel shelf.

Whether a fireplace has or needs a mantel can come down tothe condition of the fireplace and personal preference.

Many existing fireplaces already have a fireplace mantel byitself, or a mantel as part of a fireplace surround.

The image below shows the stone surround and mantel for ourexisting open fireplace (in which we installed a multi fuel stove) and theconcrete surround and mantel for our other open fireplace.

These mantels were already installed when we bought thehouses.

The concrete mantel for our open fireplace hides the linteland any untidy brickwork and joints behind it. Mantels, along with surrounds,can therefore be used as a way to hide any imperfections around the opening ofa fireplace.

On the other we also have a wood burning stove installed inan open fireplace. There’s no mantel or surround for this particularfireplace and there wasn’t one installed when we bought the house.

We have no intentions of installing a mantel at this currenttime because:

• We think the fireplace looks great as it is.
• The fireplace is finished nicely, and we don’tneed a mantel to cover it up.
• There are shelves in other areas of the room onwhich we can place household items.

How Are Fireplace MantelsAttached?

Standalone floating fireplace mantels can either beattached to a wall using lag screws or installed onto a back board, whilemantels as part of a complete fireplace surround may be screwed into the wallusing brackets.

How Floating Mantel Shelves Are Attached

Standalone fireplace mantels (where they aren’tattached to a fireplace surround) are typically attached to a wall in such away that you can’t easily see how it’s attached.

This helps to make a floating mantel look more built-in andsophisticated. In order to achieve this floating mantel look standalone mantelsare typically attached to a wall using:

• Screws and/or bolts on which the mantelcan slide onto.
• A back board.
• Nails.
• Brackets such as French cleats.
• Supported by corbels.

The way in which a mantel is installed onto a wall willdiffer between models.

Some mantels can be resting on strong lag screws that cantake the weight of the mantel. These screws or bolts are drilled into the wallwith the ends sticking out and a mantel can slide onto the bolts usingpre-drilled holes.

Other mantels can be screwed or nails onto a board, which inturn is attached to the wall, or simply attached to a wall with brackets ornails.

How Fireplace Mantels With Surrounds Are Attached

For fireplace mantels that are included as part of afireplace surround, the surround itself is commonly attached to a wall usingbrackets with screws, particularly for wooden surrounds.

The brackets will typically be located at a number of positionsaround the outer perimeter of the mantel with surround, but may also be on theinner side. The brackets were sunk into the wall and plastered over sothat they couldn’t be seen.

The image below shows where the brackets were on our old gasfireplace surround with mantel.

Unlike floating mantels, surrounds with mantels are commonlysat with their load on the hearth and so don’t typically require thesame sort of load bearing joints. Wooden surrounds (like ours) will be screwedinto the wall to help prevent it from falling over, rather than being used tohold it up.

For more information see our article on how to remove a fireplace surround with mantel.

Are Fireplace MantelsHollow?

Lower cost fireplace mantels are more likely to be hollowcompared to mantels made from higher quality materials. Timber mantels are alsomore likely to be hollow compared to mantels made from other materials.

To make floating mantels look more built in, you’lltypically only be able to tell whether a mantel is hollow by inspecting itclose up.

Fireplace mantels can come in range of prices depending onthe quality of the materials used and the craftmanship. Price canalso be affected by whether a fireplace mantel is hollow or not.

You can typically expect that cheaper mantels made frommanufactured wood to have a higher chance of being hollow compare to moreexpensive mantels that are made from, for example, one piece of timber.

For mantels that are included as part of a fireplacesurround, it can yet again depend on the type and quality of materials used.

Lower cost mantels made from manufactured wood are morelikely to be hollow compared to more expensive stone mantels and surround.

As an example, the wooden fireplace mantel and surround weremoved from our old gas fireplace when renovating our kitchen was hollow,as shown below.

For more information see our article on what’s behind a fireplace surround with mantel.

Parts Of A FireplaceMantel

For floating mantels that are separate from a surround, theonly major part is the mantel shelf itself.

If a mantel is found as part a fireplace surround, themain parts of a mantel can include the mantel shelf, header, legs, and in somemodels the hearth.

The labelled picture below explains the parts of our old gasfireplace surround that included the mantel.

What Are Fireplace MantelsMade Of?

Standalone floating mantels are commonly made from wood,while mantels found as part of a complete fireplace surround can commonly befound made from wood, stone, concrete and marble.

Floating mantel shelves, which are mantels found ontheir own without being part of a complete fireplace surround, are commonlyconstructed of wood.

As the weight of a floating mantel shelf needs to besupported by the wall it’s attached to, wood makes a good material for suchmantels because of its lighter weight compared to any masonry constructedmantels.

Wood mantels can also be hollow to save even more weight andsave on manufacturing and purchase cost, without affecting the looks.

Fireplace surrounds (with integrated mantels) cantypically be found made from a wider range of materials including wood,concrete, brick, stone and marble.

The surround and mantel for our old gas fireplace waswooden, while we also have a concrete mantel for our open fireplace and a stonemantel for the fireplace in which we’ve installed a multi fuel stove.

What Are The Dimensions OfA Fireplace Mantel?

Fireplace mantels will come in all sorts of shapes and sizesso suit the range of different sizes that can be found for fireplace openings.

The widths of a fireplace mantel will vary to suit thevariety of fireplace opening and chimney breast sizes, but typical depths forfloating mantels can be between 10 and 12” while typical heights can be foundbetween 4 and 6”.

It can be common practice to have a floating mantel that is widerthan the fireplace firebox opening. Any shorter and it may not look right.

It can also be common to have a floating mantel that is justa bit shorter than the chimney breast it’s attached to, but can also bejust as common to have a mantel that runs the whole width of the chimneybreast.

As an example, the following are the dimensions of our oldwooden fireplace surround with mantel:

• Length – 48 inches (4ft) / 1.22m
• Depth – 8 inches / 20cm
• Height 45 inches / 1.15m

This mantel was wider than the fireplace opening butalso shorter than the width of the chimney breast, which allowed to fitin with the surroundings.

How To Protect A FireplaceMantel From The Heat

To protect a fireplace mantel from the heat of afireplace, clearance distances to combustible materials in line with local andnational codes and building regulations will need to be considered. The depthof a mantel can also affect the total clearance required from the fireplaceopening.

When it comes to protecting a fireplace mantel from heat,you’ll need to consider:

• Whether the mantel is constructed of acombustible material.
• What the local building codes or regulations arefor your particular area of residence.

Mantels made from combustible materials such as wood willneed to be located a certain distance away from the opening of a fireplace forsafety purposes. This distance will need to be in line with your local ornational building codes or regulations.

If you have a mantel that is part of a fireplace surround you can read more about what the codes are for fireplace surrounds and how to protect combustible materials from the heat in one of our other articles.

What Is Code For A Fireplace Mantel?

In the US, The National Fireplace Protection Agency (NFPA) governs clearance distances to fireplace mantels within Code 211 Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances.

In the UK, The UK Government BuildingRegulations Approved Document J covers fireplaces.

How Far Does A Mantel Need To Be Above A Fireplace?

The clearance distance for combustible mantels away from afireplace opening will need to be in line with the respective code orregulations for the location.

The National Fire Protection Agency states within Code 211 (2019 Edition) paragraph 11.2.5.4 that:

‘Combustible material above and projecting more than 1 and a half in. (38mm) from a fireplace opening shall not be placed less than 12 in. (305mm) from the top of the fireplace opening.’

NFPA

Further clearance may also have to be given to mantels froma fireplace opening if the mantel exceeds certain depths.

Speak to a certified installer or professional to get adviceon the requirements for installing mantels in your particular area ofresidence.

A fireplace mantel can only be lowered if the clearancedistances to combustible objects in line with codes and regulations are stillmet.

How Much Are FireplaceMantels?

Prices for floating fireplace mantel shelves can beanywhere from $50 to $1000, but the average cost for a mantel shelf can bebetween $150 and $250. The price of a mantel can be influenced by its size,brand, craftsmanship and quality of materials used.

There are a range of mantels shelves available to suit avariety of fireplace sizes, home decors and budgets.

Larger wooden floating mantels made from higher quality woodand finished to a higher standard are likely to demand a higher price tagcompared to smaller, hollow mantels made from manufactured wood.

See the range of fireplace floating mantel shelves available to buy here.

Can You Paint A FireplaceMantel?

Fireplace mantels can be painted much like any otherpiece of household furniture. The process for painting mantels can be differentfor mantels made from different materials, such as wood, concrete, marble,stone and brick.

Can You Paint A Wood Fireplace Mantel?

Wooden fireplace mantels can be painted but may requirefurther preparation work compared to other types of mantel materials to ensurethat the paint sticks well and looks good.

Items that may be required to paint a fireplace mantel(depending on its current condition, the type of wood and the quality of finishyou want) can include:

• Paint brush & paint
• Sandpaper & damp cloth
• Primer

We’ll be painting the wooden surround we took out of ourkitchen when we renovated a white color to suit the updated modern décor ofthis room.

Can You Paint A Stone Fireplace Mantel?

Stone fireplace mantels (typically included as part of acomplete surround) can be painted.

For our own stone fireplace mantel that surrounds our multifuel stove, we’ve decided not to paint it as the stone was the look we weregoing for in this particular situation.

We could paint this stone mantel if we wanted to furtherdown the line.

Can You Paint A Concrete Fireplace Mantel?

Concrete fireplacemantels can be painted.

The concrete surround and mantel for our living roomfireplace when we bought the house had already been painted black. We’ve sincetouched up this concrete mantel just because it needed it.

We simply masked around the mantel and used a heat-resistantblack spray paint.

Can You Paint A Marble Fireplace Mantel?

A marble fireplace mantel can be painted, but will typicallyrequire the use of a primer coat underneath the paint.

What To Put On FireplaceMantels (& Decorate Them With)

Fireplace mantels can be decorated with a number ofdifferent household items to help cement a fireplace as a focal point for aroom, while a range of objects can also be hung on the wall above a mantel tohelp further enhance the look of a fireplace.

Common items to put on a fireplace mantel include:

• Candles
• Photos
• Ornaments
• Lanterns
• Plants

Common items to hang above a fireplace mantel include a:

• Mirror
• Clock
• Framed artwork
• TV
• Photos
• Wreath

Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas (What We’ve Done)

Here’s how we’ve decorated our own fireplace mantels.

Our living room open fireplace (with concrete mantel andsurround) is decorated with candles placed on the mantel shelf with a pictureplaced on the wall above.

Our other stone surround and mantel fireplace with multifuel stove installed is decorated with a range of items including plants,candles, pictures and ornaments, and we also have a mirror leaning against thewall above.

There’s no mantel for our fireplace with wood burning stovebut we do have a picture placed above the fireplace opening. The wooden beamalso helps create the look of a mantel but doesn’t actually stick out.

Can You Put A TV On AFireplace Mantel?

A TV can be put over a fireplace mantel as long as themantel is installed in accordance with local and national codes andregulations, and that the TV is sufficiently protected from the heat of afireplace. There is still a small risk that a TV can be damaged when locatedabove a fireplace.

It can be better to install a TV on the wall above afireplace mantel rather than to rest a TV on the mantel itself.

This can be because certain mantels, particularly floatingmantles shelves, may not be able to cope with the additional loading as well asdealing with its own weight.

We’ve actually installed a TV above the open fireplace onthe chimney breast in our kitchen. We don’t use this fireplace as wehave another open fireplace our living room that we use instead, and so we feltcomfortable installing the TV here on the chimney breast.

Speak to a local professional to ascertain whetherinstalling a TV above a fireplace mantel is achievable.

Can You Have A MantelWithout A Fireplace?

A mantel can be installed in homes even without a fireplace.A mantel can traditionally be seen as a staple component of a fireplace, but amantel can be installed on any wall of a home to place decorations on or toprovide another feature to a home.

Further Reading

A Complete Guide To Fireplace Surrounds

A Complete Guide To Fireplace Hearths

How A Fireplace Works