Shiplap Fireplace With Natural Beam Mantle
Introduction: Shiplap Fireplace With Natural Beam Mantle
Our home was built in the 1980's and featured an exposed red brick fireplace with a gas insert. My wife had been asking me to apply a German Shmear, giving a whitewashed look to the brick for quite some time. We decided to take it a few steps further, adding shiplap, a TV mount, and a restored antique beam we found in a scrap pile.
Supplies
1x2 furring strips (Home Depot)
Shiplap primed boards (Home Depot)
Heavy Duty floating shelf bracket - https://www.etsy.com/shop/SilicateStudio
Concrete screws
Flat Screen TV Mount (Best Buy)
Boiled Linseed Oil (Home Depot)
Antique Beam (salvaged from builder's scrap pile)
Whitewash Brick Paint (Amazon.com)
Finishing nails
Step 1: Clean & Prepare the Brick
This was the original look of our fireplace. We began by removing the existing mantel. I used a wire brush and cleaned the brick, removing any loose debris. I then used a vacuum to make sure the brick was completely clean and ready for paint.
Step 2: Whitewash the Brick
Using whitewash paint specifically designed for this purpose, you add water to make the paint as thin as you'd like. I applied the paint to the brink & mortar joints completely. For spots where it appears to be too thick or white, I simply took a dry rag and wiped that area before it completely dried. Once dry, I took a wire brush and roughed-up a few areas, exposing a little more color, making sure the final outcome didn't appear to be artificially white. This is easy because if you apply too much paint or color - a wire brush can quickly restore some of the natural beauty of the brick.
Step 3: Prepare for Shiplap
In this step, I applied 1x2 furring strips to the fireplace using a hammer-drill to pre-drill for the concrete anchors. As you can see, I also installed 3/4" plywood in the approximate area where I knew we'd be installing a heavy natural wood beam. I wanted to be extra sure the beam would be securely mounted to the fireplace. Again, I used concrete screws designed for this purpose that went in easily after pre-drilling the brick with a hammer-drill. I also mounted the flat-screen TV mount directly to the brick. This step meant that the TV would be close to the wall, giving a flatter appearance. It also allowed me to run the wiring behind the boards and down the side of the fireplace, which would later be hidden by the shiplap.
Step 4: Install Shiplap
This was perhaps the quickest & easiest step. 181
Shiplap installs quickly and easily. You start at the bottom and work your way up. Make sure each row remains level. I used an air-brad-nailer to quickly install each board. I later trimmed out the entire fireplace using 1x2 and 1x4 trim boards. You can see how I was also able to leave the TV mount exposed, making it very easy to later mount our television to the mount.
Step 5: Mount the TV
With the television mounted, we were able to measure what size beam we thought might look best with this setup. After taking a few measurements, we felt like we knew what we were looking for.
Step 6: Find a Wooden Beam
Fortunately, my brother is a builder in Maine. While visiting him, we were able to dig through his scrap pile looking at old lumber that had been removed from old houses and barns. The beams don't look like much as they've been sitting outside in a pile for years - but don't let first impressions get in the way. Just watch what you can do with old wood once you give it a little TLC! Some people pay hundreds of dollars for an old restored beam. We got this one for free and restored it ourselves with just a pressure washer and some linseed oil!
Step 7: Prepare the Beam to Become a Mantel
The first thing I did was to dry-fit the beam. Here, my son and I simply held up the beam to make sure it would fit as we expected. We were very lucky to find a beam that did not need to be cut - it was the exact size we were looking for! After knowing it would fit, I took the beam outside to pressure-wash it. This removed years of dirt, sand and grime. We let the beam sit in the sun for a few days to dry, bringing it back to the natural gray color it was when we first found it. I then applied a little boiled linseed oil to see if we liked the oiled look better. 959