Stacked stone cladding, a floating mantel and attractive downlights gave this fireplace area a fresh, contemporary look.
The project
This all came together quite well. I built a floating mantel and added some lights with a trim above to blend in with the existing crown moulding. I also lightly sanded the clay tile base and sealed it with a gloss sealer.
I started by removing the previous shelf and cutting off the top layer of the brick corbels. The remaining layer is used as a support for the floating mantel.
I cut and attached the sheet cladding using countersunk DynaBolts. I built the mantel using DAR Pine.
I routed a channel into the inside (bottom) of the mantel to accomodate the brick corbel before gluing, clamping and nailing from inside to avoid nail holes on the outside.
I built the double returns on the mantel, routed an offset Roman ogee trim layer on the underside and dry fitted it to see if it needed any adjustments.
I added support brackets for the first layer of stone just above the fireplace opening.
I continued with attaching the stone (approximately 1m at a time) and built the light surround to match the thickness and length of the crown moulding.
I made the light surround using pine moulding: one piece of 92mm x 11mm straight edge and three pieces of 42mm x 11mm with a Colonial edge profile with mitred corners. I chose the Colonial profile as it was similar to the Colonial baseboards in the room. The 11mm thickness also matched the lip of the existing crown moulding for a seamless transition.
If you're looking for a more modern look, consider pencil round or tri quad mouldings.
Before and after
