Shopping Guide for Fire Place Mantels

Fire place mantels are important accessories for all homes that have fireplaces installed. A mantel is a shelf that protects the wall when the fire is ablaze and collects the smoke. Without a mantel, the room would become smoky, dirty and difficult to stay in. So if you are building a new fireplace in your house or are remodeling an old one, make sure you install a fabulous fire place mantel to go with your lovely fireplace.

Ideas for the best fire place mantels

• Find a good fireplace mantel design – Before you buy and install the mantel in your house, make sure you do a little bit of research. For this, you can go online and see the pictures of the various kinds of fireplaces. Read about them and post question son forums to be absolutely clear about the kind of mantel you want in your house. The fire place mantels are available in a large range of designs, colors, material, and so on. Thus, do not make the mistake of buying the first fire place mantels that you see in the store. Look around, learn about the different options and then make your choice.
• Material of fireplace mantle – Like mentioned above, the fire place mantels are available in a variety of materials. You get wooden mantles, metal mantels and mantels made out of stone and granite. So choose the material that you like and you feel would match the most with the decor of your room. If you have a wooden fireplace, go for a wooden mantle. Look at the designs closely and then select the one you like the most.
• Prefab fireplace mantels – Prefabricated mantels for the fire place are also ready available in the market. You can visit any home improvement store and pick up a fire place mantel kit. These kits simply need to be assembled and very soon you will have a wonderful, new mantle for your precious fire place.
• Getting a custom made mantel – If you do not like the readymade mantels that are available in the stores, you can get your mantel custom made. For this, you first will require a great design plan. If you already have an idea in mind, you can proceed with it. If not, you can look at pictures on the internet and also in magazines and catalogues. Alternatively, you could hire a professional interior designer to get the job done. If you want to provide some inputs, sit and discuss your ideas with the designer. Else, let him or her come up with the designs. Tell the design what you roughly want.
• Buying a used mantel – Sometimes you get the most majestic mantels second-hand. The used mantels may have belonged to wealthy people who lived in large, Victorian houses. So if you want something that grand and beautiful, you can look at the used mantels for your fire place. Another advantage of buying a use mantle is that you end up saving a lot of money as the used mantels are usually inexpensive.

Getting the best fire place mantels

Now that you know all the DOs and DON’Ts about fire place mantels, go ahead and get the most suitable mantel for your fire place. Check out the various designs, material, price ranges, etc and then choose the one you like the most. A pretty mantel will not only look good and make your living room more elegant, it will also act as a protective cover over the fire place. So go right ahead and check out the various designs of fire place mantels and buy the one you like the most.