No fireplace mantel? No problem, let me show you how to build your own! 

As we’ve been working on the master bathroom & closet makeover, we also painted our master bedroom.  It’s all connected, so one project overflows right into the next. Snowball effect at it best 😜.  I painted the bedroom (Revere Pewter) and started to get it set up the way I want it with one problem, just a huge wall with nothing on it. I couldn’t figure out how to arrange pictures, decor, anything that would really make sense on the wall.  So I got to thinking – how about a fireplace mantel?   

There are plenty of old wood mantels out there and people use them for decor all the time without actually having a fireplace to go with it.  I was looking at online plans for how I could build my own, make it custom, etc. when I remembered I had an old antique door lintel that may just work. Up-cycled fireplace mantel??  I bought it for our last house and it hung as a piece of architectural charm above the front door.  At our new house I just couldn’t figure out where it should live so it was sitting in the garage patiently awaiting inspiration to strike.  This was it! 

This post contains affiliate links to help you find the products I use and recommend.  Using these links pays me a small commission.  To see my full disclosure policy, click here. 

Here’s what it looks like… 

My thought was that I could very easily build a fireplace surround with just a few pieces of wood and it would inexpensively and instantly add a ton of character to my otherwise boring, albeit freshly painted wall.  It would all be very slim in profile, not taking up much floor space, but it would be a mantel – and we all know mantels are the best for decorating!!

So I headed to the hardware store, picked up a 2×8 and a 1×6 and built very simple mantel “legs” using the 1×6 as some trim to make the base a bit beefier.  

Note – if you didn’t have an old door lintel just laying around like I did, you could very easily make your own.  All it is is a piece of 2×8 topped with a 1×3 and a bit of crown molding type trim to finish it off. 

Now to tackle the next problem.  This was brand new pine I wanted to attach to chippy, old, crusty (most definitely lead) paint.  Even the best attempts at faux finishing weren’t going to make this match. But I gave something new a try, and it WORKED!  

I used Dixie Belle Driftwood as the base coat of paint – it’s a light gray and the perfect undertone. Once that was dry I applied Crackle Medium.  It’s like really thick clear glue.  I applied it thicker in some places and thinner in others to make the cracks have some variety.  

Then I painted over that with Dixie Belle’s Cotton.  It’s their whitest white paint.  And although we are going super chippy with this, I did still want it to be pure white to match the trim and other accents of my bedroom.  As Cotton was drying, magic happened.  It started cracking and making the COOLEST finish!  Old crackly chippy fireplace mantel here we come.  

Here’s a video of the whole process… this is a great technique to have in your back pocket on how to make new wood look old! 

Once my mantel legs were all crackly and dry, I attached the legs to the lintel with some metal straps and wood screws.   

One last minute addition I added was this old dresser back splash.  I had taken this off a dresser a while ago and it was also sitting in my pile of wood scrap  treasure waiting for just the right use.  I liked that it added a little curve to the piece so it’s not all straight and boxy.  It also helps cover up those numbers that were buried under exactly 37 coats of paint.  

Instead of just seeing the wall through the opening, I cut some rough-sawn pine to size and stained it with Walnut Wood Stain.  It makes it a little more rustic, and I think finishes it off a bit better than just the wall. This dark walnut wood tone also matches some other wood accents in our room, so it really ties the space together nicely! 

You can either attach this to the wall (with a hanger like this) or just lean it, whichever you feel most comfortable with.  It’s not going anywhere, especially tucked behind this big blue chair.

I decorated it really simply with an antique gold mirror, and candles sticks from a yard sale last summer.  I may add some greenery for the spring or decorate it really simply with each season.  It’s a very tiny mantel so not much will fit there. 

I love how it fills up this wall.  It’s simple, romantic, and architectural.  It just makes me happy when I walk into the room and see this.  It coordinates just perfectly with the new white dresser, and it’s a fantastic spot to curl up and read a book.  

We’re wrapping up the master bathroom and bedroom makeover, with a few final projects and I can’t wait to share it with you when it’s all finished! 

Keep in mind too that just because I built this for our bedroom doesn’t mean you couldn’t build your own custom mantel for any room in your house that needed one! You could also build this an put in a cool electric fireplace as well.  Oh the possibilities! 

Until next time,
Jenni