Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Beautiful Built Mantel From Scraps {Fireplace #2}

Updating "The Lefere Mansion"

Fireplace #2


This old-but-new-to-us home of ours is blessed with three fireplaces.  Three!
Awesome.  Except my hubby does not want to mess with all that burning wood entails.  
He says he did enough of that as a kid to ever want to do it again. 

So I'm just waiting for the negative comments about the suitcases stacked in there, like the ones I got about the trunk in my family room fireplace.  No, not in the comment section here on Kammy's Korner, but on good ole' Facebook.  People seem to throw manners out the window when posting comments on a large social media outlet!  It's okay.  I'm a big girl. And I actually kind of like my trunk in the fireplace... so put that in your pipe and smoke it!

But everyone really should just calm down because guess what?  There's a dude, a really nice dude named Bill, that came over tonight to hook up a big, warm gas log.  Maybe, just maybe, I won't have to wear my stocking cap in the living room anymore.  That, or I could always turn the heat up. 

What the room liked like while we worked on the house, prior to moving in
So, a couple weeks ago, I shared the fireplace in Family Room that I so bravely stenciled.  Brave, because it was granite.  Well actually, that wasn't the first granite fireplace I painted.  This one was.

  Nothing was coming together in this massive room.  And I especially hated the look of the fireplace!  Even though I love yellow, the pale yellow walls combined with the pinkish tan granite, and then the lack of mantel just about pushed my home-decor-diva side over the edge.  


Someone commented to me on my blog that they heard you can use shaving cream to clean soot out. 
Shucks.  I hadn't heard that.  Too late.  Black paint, soot... all looks the same now!



A few Saturdays ago, I asked Hubby what was on his agenda.  Nothing.  Nothing?  Can I put something on it?  Like.... buildamantelforthefireplace???  After some major persuading that it was a perfectly great thing to do on a free Saturday and  lots of "you can do it"s....  I get the question that I always get.  And I answer with the answer I always answer with:

Hubby: So can I go buy new materials for this?
Me: No way.  Go out and look around in the shed.  We've got all kinds of stuff.  I'm sure you can come up with something.
Hubby:  It'd be a lot easier if I went to Lowes....
Me: Not when we got all these scraps leftover from fifty other projects!  Not to mention the faux wood beams we found in the garage attic!  Be creative.  *Big smile*.

Brainstorming.....





Here, he is using the back sides of leftover pieces from our white washed paneled ceiling in the kitchen:

These decorative "pillars" were found in the garage attic when we bought this place in the spring.  They look like wood... but are actually made out of Styrofoam!


Coming together......  The white piece under the faux beam is leftover crown molding from the kitchen.


After painting all the wood and what-appears-to-be-wood-but-really-is-some-man-made-concoction white.... I set to work on painting the granite. Totally against all the warnings, advice, and pleadings of my friends.  I went with my gut.  White would be best!  I DON'T GIVE A FIG NEWTON IF IT'S GRANITE!


I had originally bought this Zinsser Perma-White paint to paint the tile backsplash in my kitchen, after watching a YouTube video how to do it.  Since my sweet-as-puddin' electrician shoved a crowbar in my hand and made me beat it off the wall....  I didn't need it for that.  But it was the PERFECT paint for this project!  It dried good and hard and I didn't need to prime or sand.  Lots of people are worried that the heat will make it peel.  My instincts say it won't.  But I guess we'll find out as soon as Bill Dude finishes installing our gas log.

Foam rollers, people.  Foam rollers are best!
The "faux" beam was good, but not great.  Just looked too dark and fakish.  So yesterday, I decided to try taking some sandpaper to it.  I was afraid the bright yellow Styrofoam inside would show right through, but thankfully, it didn't!  I'm liking it so much better now.  Can you see the difference?


And there you have it!

Three hours after Hubby said "I have no clue how to build a mantel".... we have this!!


I let him eat at Culver's just for that.  Oh wait, that was for building our son a loft bed....


Again, these are just temporary!  Actually, they are stacked on the rug right now.  Since Bill Dude, the gas log installer just left.....  Now I'll need to find a new home for them!  Hmmm.




Pulled this barn door out of the barn.  Literally.  Hubby brought it in to the house for me.  Complete with old dirt and manure crusted on from decades ago.... but that's a post for another day.






Hope you enjoyed!  That's two fireplaces down, one more to go!  I've started the third.... but just barely!  Stay tuned....

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Like what you see?  Follow Kammy's Korner on:




UPDATE: All Fireplaces are done!

And we got a gas log put in this one, here's an updated photo:


Click HERE to see the updates.

Firpelace #1 Family Room:



Fireplace #3 Master Bedroom:



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If you haven't read the story about my Dad while we were on vacation in January, please take the time to read it through to the end:




Sharing HERE:

Savvy Southern Style
TDC Before and After

30 comments:

  1. Need to know how you like your new log? Tim did ban amazing job! So did you. Love it!

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  2. The mantle and fireplace surround are fabulous! Obviously you have a gold mine in your husband and the cache of stuff in your barn! He did a wonderful job.

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  3. I'm going to try that paint on some windowsills. Thanks for sharing.

    Shannon from BohemianJunktion.com

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  4. You've got a good man - and a talented one too! Love the wall color too, btw!

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  5. Wow, it looks amazing. I love all the detail you added.

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  6. Bravo!! That looks incredible! We have 8 fireplaces and I want to make each one different...I may have to try this! :)

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  7. Big accolades! Fabo job for sure! I love it all

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  8. Kammy, Thanks for confirming my belief that I want nothing to do with Facebook, nor any of the other social media sites. And, kudo's to your talented and kind hubby. If he knows nothing about building mantels and fireplace surrounds, I'd love to see what he could do if he did know!! What a difference. Keep up the good work, both of you!

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  9. That looks absolutely amazing, I love the faux wood beam that you used as the mantle-it looks so real!

    xoxo, SS

    The Southern Stylista

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  10. This mantle turned out great! I'm curious how your black paint holds up to heat once that fire starts burning-- did you just paint the bottom or the sides, too? Did you smell any VOCs when it burned? If it held up and didn't smell funny, then this looks like such an easy solution to those old fireplaces. Thanks for posting!

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  11. Very nice job. I was surprised to read that so much of your project wasn't wood. I would never have known. You are a very talented couple!

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  12. I commented on Hometalk, but I have to comment here too. Sooooooo Awesome! It is just Gorgeous!! Really, I am impressed it only took three hours, it looks like a million bucks! The sanding on the top beam was smart, it looks so real! I need you to come to my house and help me decorate. Really.

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  13. wow! that is amazing!!! You're so lucky those pieces were left behind in the attic! Catching you this week. Thanks so much for linking up and linking back to MRL CCC!

    gail

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  14. It looks fabulous. I cannot believe how that beam turned out! and your family pic looks stunning on that barnwood!
    ~Tami

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  15. That's amazing! We don't have a mantle either and I haven't been able to find anyone who just has the tile surround. Usually they have brick or something existing that they are just covering up. Thanks for the inspiration :)

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  16. It looks great! Love how you designed it. Just beautiful!

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  17. Wow! Your mantel looks great! Awesome job! If only I had a fireplace...

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  18. Wow! What a great transformation! I love that it's all made with found pieces, too! Pinning!

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  19. Absolutely gorgeous Kammy !
    Wow - I'm in love
    As for the negative comments - you should see what a painted piece of furniture did for me on Hometalk hundreds and hundreds of comments with some people saying they wanted to cry because I painted wood LOL - hater's gonna hate.
    I'm off to pin your gorgeous fireplace
    xox

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  20. Wow, Kammy! You and your Hubby make a great team. What an accomplishment in an afternoon!

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  21. I can't believe all that random stuff, turned an overpowering wall and barely there fireplace, into such a beautiful and well balanced focal point!

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  22. Well, I would say he does know how to build a mantel. That looks awesome! Sharing at Wow this week.

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  23. I'm visiting from WOW. Your mantle turned out beautiful - such a charming focal point!

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  24. What an amazing difference... your husband is truly gifted to make such a mantelpiece as he did. It adds such grandeur to the room, I am sure you have fallen in love with it like we all have** Thank you for sharing, I have just discovered your blog and I am going to take the time to read all the other posts.. best wishes janzi

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  25. Beautiful! What color did you use on the wall?

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    1. Well I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately I took about 6 different colors and mixed them all together to get a soft aqua blue. I always buy mistints cheap and mix my own colors.

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  26. Beautiful!. What color did you use on the wall?

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    Replies
    1. Well I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately I took about 6 different colors and mixed them all together to get a soft aqua blue. I always buy mistints cheap and mix my own colors.

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