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Showing posts with label walnut creek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walnut creek. Show all posts

Friday, April 10, 2015

Fireplace Remodel Maple Beam Mantel and Hand Carved Corbels


New Fireplace surround and Maple Mantel w/ Corbels
Walnut Creek, California 2015
Tile work by Palermo Tile


Fireplace before
 Original brick surround and hearth
No overmantel
Old Mantel removed
Hiding the Flat Screen TV wires
Framing the overmantel
New overmantel getting tiled
2x4 for temp support of tiles
Hole for Flat screen junction box
New overmantel extends to ceiling
Gabled beam ceiling

New sand stone 24"x12"x1.25" hearth by Palermo Tile
New corbels cut from New Maple mantel beam 
Maple staining samples:
400 grit
1 coat of Clear Shellac

Maple staining samples:
400 grit
1 coat of Clear Shellac

General Wood Dyes on Hard Maple
Left side stain on bare wood 400 grit
Right side seal coat of shellac applied before dyes
All samples sealed with a top coat of shellac

Hard Maple stain samples:
bottom half of sample got boiled linseed oil before a medium brown dye was applied.
Top half was sealed with shellac then dyed with General finishes medium brown
Both samples top coated with clear Shellac



New hand carved Hard Maple corbels and more staining samples
Maple Corbels and quarter round trim fabricating
New fireplace and mantel finished

Maple mantel dark stained with General Finishes Medium Brown Dye Stain
and Varathane oil based polyurathane satin finish

I lightly distressed the wood before staining for a more natural look 
Close up of maple beam mantel

Here you can see the finish is still drying

The distressing process involved a pocket knife and a little sanding

4.5"x7.5" solid maple beam stretching 82" long and the Corbels are 14"x4.5"

(5) ½"x12" anchor bolts drilled into support blocking behind the tile support the beam while access to the nuts and washers are hidden by corbels. Very secure mantel.

Maple is a difficult wood to stain even with experience. I have learned through the years that consistent sanding 80 up to 400 grit helps control the common blotching issues seen in maple 

Tile by Palermo Tile. Maple beam mantel in Walnut Creek, California 2015

Maple Beam mantel by Cahl Roach with Palermo Tile in Walnut Creek, California 2015