Custom Mantels

Mantels here include beam mantels, from rustic distressed and iron-strapped beams to live-edge cottonwood and modern cherry; wrap-around and three-sided mantels; and Craftsman and traditional surrounds in quartersawn oak, maple with a copper accent, knotty alder and flame birch. Some have hidden storage or stocking rods, and some carry carved inlay. Listings describe hand-hewn reclaimed beams, solid wood built up in layers, and a surround installed in two sections on wall cleats.

Fire safety

How close a wood mantel can sit to the firebox is set by your local code and by the installation instructions from the maker of your fireplace or insert. Give those requirements to the mantel maker before they design, and have the installation checked if your code requires it.

What sets the price

A listing's price is usually a starting point. Half of the listings here are priced between about $680 and $2,100, with a median near $1,300, and one in ten is priced above $4,500. Size, wood, a full surround or a single beam, metalwork and carving set the price of a commission.

Before you start

• The fireplace opening, the existing surround, and the wall's width and height.
• The type of fireplace (wood-burning, gas, insert or electric) and its installation instructions.
• What the wall is made of: brick, stone or drywall over studs.
• A beam, a shelf or a full surround, and the style.
• Hidden storage or a stocking rod.

For fireplaces themselves, see Fireplaces.

Describe the mantel with the materials, size, budget and date you have in mind, and makers who do this work send proposals. You pay a 50% deposit on the one you approve, see the finished mantel by photos, video call or studio visit, and pay the balance once you approve it; Maker Marketplace holds that payment while it ships.