Replies

1. 
   Dave_Ingle | Oct 28, 1999 02:58am | #2

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   Rich........I did a mantle much like the way you've considered installing yours.......It worked beautiful. I had 1/2" steel rods welded perpendicular to a 1/4 or 3/8 steel plate about 8"x84" and anchored the plate to the fireplace...then I laid my stone. My mantle was 4x12 oak about 6 ft long. At the place where the mantle was to touch the stone facing, I filled that area with mortar to give me a smooth surface the exact same size as the wood I was using. Drilled holes in the right places on the mantle and just slid it over the rods. I used threaded rods and had to tap the mantle on for a good friction fit.......If it were me I'd use a few more rods than four, since your mantle is so heavy.....lead anchors with lag bolts should work fine if your mud your rods in good.. the forces will be tending to raise the plate......use plenty of wall ties on your stone and I hope you've got plenty of footing and foundation for all that extra load.

2. 
   Guest_ | Oct 28, 1999 06:26am | #3

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   David-

   First my apologies to Alan as I failed to say that the mantle is attaching only to masonry.

   You seem to understand my dilema. I was thinking I would install the mantle once the stone reaches the bottom of the mantle postition and using mortar to create a flat plane upon which to rest the bottom edge. Since the stone face is 7 inches thick (yes, plenty of ties courtesy of my mason who admits I do better stonework) and the mantle is 12 inches deep, I planned for it to stand 5 inches proud of the stone face.

   Were the rods welded to your plate simply perpendicular or at a slight upward angle? Am I correct in understanding that you lagged it to the masonry with lead shields drilled into the masonry? I worry about the welds, but that may be unwarranted. I think I'd feel better about the rods being further into the masonry than the lags would go and elinimating the risk of a bad weld. With 7 inches of timber supported by the stone, I might be overbuilding this simple thing. Threaded rod sounds like a good idea.

   Rich

3. 
   Ralph_Wicklund | Oct 28, 1999 07:14am | #4

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   Hi Rich - Maybe this idea would help.
   You write that your stone face will continue upwards another five feet above the mantle. May I suggest an angle iron lageed or expansion bolted to the brick face - 1 1/2"x1 1/2" x 6 FT should be more than enough - and then drill 3 or 4 holes vertically thru the mantle down thru the angle iron. Before you finish laying up the lower stones insert a bolt upward thru each hole, long enough to go thru the mantle and accept a washer and nut. Make the holes in the mantle oversize for ease of insertion. Holes in the iron should just clear the shank of the bolt.
   After the FLAT mortar bed for the mantle sets up it will keep the bolts from falling back out and keep them from turning. (Mortar just barely covers the iron). Set the mantle down on the bolts, tighten securely and if your mortar bed is level, so will your mantle be.
   Continue your stonework upward and the additional downward weight should sandwich that mantle in forever.
   (You did say that plenty of ties back to the brick were installed but what's the brick tied to)?
   Please post you results and the method you finally used. Thanks, Ralph

4. 
   Guest_ | Oct 28, 1999 08:41am | #5

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   It seems to me that more than half (7") of this mantle is buried in the stone face with more than half of it's weight bearing on the mortar bed. It's not going anywhere, but to be sure, set the bottom on two or three short dowels (made from rebar or bolts) embeded in the mortar. Or screw a few 1/2" lag bolts into the bottom of the mantle leaving enough protruding to embed in the mortar. Brace temporarily to take the weight off while the mortar dries. Meanwhile, lag a length of angle iron to both the brickface and the top of the mantle. Cover the angle iron with the fieldstone as you go.

   Jerry

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 28, 1999 09:07pm | #6

   *Jerry-I daresay you are the winner, but Mike is a close second. You both are clever in your ability to solve this problem without seeing it firsthand!I really like your very simple solution of putting the angle iron above the top face. I like this approach as it the only pressure on the angle iron would be upward and not outward which relieves the possibility of pulling the lags and lead shields from the brick.I thank you, as my chances for success with this method are much better than my initial idea to try to line up pins accurately! Although it will take me at least the next month to finish this job in my spare time, I'll try to get a few pix to post both at the time of mantle installation and the completed full stone face.Thanks again.Rich

5. 
   Mad_Dog | Oct 29, 1999 12:25am | #7

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   Rich-

   Those chestnut timbers are really no good anymore. Due to the blight, I'll have to come and load them on my trailer, and for a small fee, I'll get rid of them for you!

   MD

6. 
   Guest_ | Nov 01, 1999 07:27am | #8

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   I have a pile of old Chestnut timbers from a barn I dismantled. I am presently using a Colonial Fieldstone to face a new fireplace (7 inches thick from brick backing to finished face). The face is 7 feet wide and just shy of 10 feet tall. As I make progress upward, I am approaching the area for the mantle I wish to "install."

   I am looking for ideas to attach the mantle of considerable weight to the brick backing. The lower fieldstone will finish below the mantle and I will make a nice, flat, level line which the mantle will set upon as well as projecting about 5 inches past into the room. The mantle is 7 feet long and will be a 6x12 which I guess will weigh in at about 250 pounds. After the mantle is in place, the fieldstone will continue above it 5 feet or so up to the ceiling. I hope I've given a good visual image for what I am trying to accomplish.

   In thinking about this for a long time, I have considered using 4 pieces of 3/4 inch solid metal rod at equal spacing which I will somehow anchor into the masonry at a slight angle, insert the rod into the brickface 6 inches or so and either mortar or expony them in place. I thought I could match the locations and angles in the back side of the timber then "simply" (ha, ha) slide the mantle into place, held there by its own weight.

   Any ideas? If my rod idea is sufficient, what kind of material would hold them? I know its awfully hard to drill clean holes in masonry even with a good masonry bit.

   Thanks, all!

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 27, 1999 10:17pm | #1

   *Hi Rich.You are involved with an interesting project.I have the following impressions: 1. The mantle is attached to frame and stone face is scribed to it. 2. The mantle should be supported with vertical supports of same material. If this is not possible then the 6x12 should be cantilevered, or appear to be so. a) If the inside of the stud wall is blocked horizontally, so that the block is 1 1/2" in elevation, and then again vertically, so that the block is 7 1/4" in elevation...and this "L" blocking is glued (PL400) and nailed together...and this is above the mantle area about 2-3 feet and also below 2-3 feet, across the wall... b) Then the mantle can be supported by doing the following: install angle iron from floor to top blocking at each stud...and drill holes in angle iron at two places where the mantle is, on each stud, so that lag bolts will pull the mantle to the frame. 3. The stone face will then add support.Hope this helps.

7. 
   Guest_ | Nov 01, 1999 07:27am | #9

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   7 ft mantle should take 3 dowels. Get some long 1/2" to 3/4" bolts or smooth rod, and lay them up in the masonry sticking out about 5-6" or so.
   Lay them up solid with good backing behind them.
   Set your mantle on the fieldstone ledge you've laid up and support it with a temporary ledge extension because the dowels won't let it balance on the ledge.
   Now tap it at each of the dowel locations so you mark the back of the mantle where it contacts the dowels.
   Take the mantle down, drill the three holes SLIGHTLY undersized, set the mantle back on the ledge and drive it onto the dowels with a block. Finish laying up your fieldstone and your mantle will be there until they tear the chimney down.