Reclaimed Heart Pine Surround and Mantel

This is a project that I designed and built for a customer.

The fireplace originally had just an ordinary mantel with wooden corbels. No surround. The mantel was dwarfed by the overall size of the brick fireplace. The customer was unhappy and that’s where I came in.

I went over, took measurements, and spoke with the customer about what she, and her husband, would like to have as a replacement. When I sort of narrowed down what they were looking for I got to work doing some sketches.

I provided them with six different design possibilities, each with differing elements. They chose a relatively plain design.

The wood that I used is reclaimed heart pine. It was in a building that was 125 years old. I cleaned it well, lightly sanded it to remove some of the graying and to reveal the hidden color contained below.

I applied a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil and then topped it off with a satin varnish.

-- Jesus was a Jewish carpenter.