Custom Trim and Carpentry
Fireplace surrounds and mantels in Lancaster and Chester County, PA
The fireplace is the wall everyone looks at. A builder-grade mantle is something people live with for years, and it takes about a week to replace once they call. We build solid wood beam mantels with handmade corbels, painted surrounds with legs and a shelf, stone and tile facings, and full fireplace walls, to the clearances the firebox requires. The mantle in Cornwall below replaced a builder-grade one and earned a review.
Kinds of Surrounds
- A beam mantle: a solid wood beam, rough-sawn or planed, on handmade corbels, against stone or a painted wall.
- A built-up painted surround: legs, a frieze, and a shelf built from paint-grade stock in the style of the house, with tile or stone at the firebox.
- Stone or tile: a stone veneer or tile surround from floor to mantle, or floor to ceiling, with a mantle set into it.
- A full fireplace wall: shiplap or board-and-batten to the ceiling with built-ins on either side and the TV above or beside the firebox.
Most fireplace walls get built inside a bigger remodel, when the room is open and the crew is there. A fireplace wall on its own is a job we will gladly look at. Send it through the estimate form.
Clearances and the Firebox
Every firebox has required clearances to combustible trim, set by the manufacturer and the code, and they decide how low the mantle can sit and how close the legs can come. We read the firebox’s listing before we draw, so the mantle sits where it should and passes inspection. Gas inserts and wood-burning fireplaces have different numbers, and so do electric units.
The Cornwall Mantle
The homeowners had two earlier projects with us and a builder-grade mantle on a stone surround in a room with a vaulted ceiling and timber beams. We removed the old mantle and built a solid wood beam mantle with handmade wood corbels, finished to match the ceiling beams, and set it into the stone. Their review is below.
Projects
Fireplaces We Have Built
Questions
Questions We Get
Can you replace just the mantle?
Yes. A new beam or a built-up shelf on the existing surround is a short job and the most common fireplace work we do.
How low can the mantle be?
The firebox’s listing sets it, usually twelve inches or more above the opening for a shelf that projects, and more for a deeper one. We check the listing before we build.
Can the TV go above the fireplace?
If the heat allows and the height is right for the seating. A recess or a mantle that projects enough to deflect heat helps, and we measure the temperature above the firebox before we promise it.
Process
How We Work
- We visit, measure, and talk through the scope before anything is priced.
- You get a written proposal, and we build to it.
- Where the work needs a permit, we walk you through it every step: the application, the drawings the township asks for, and the inspections.
- We are on site from the first day to the last, and the house stays clean while we work.
- We walk the finished job with you, fix anything on the list, and clean up.
Custom Trim and Carpentry
More Kinds of Custom Trim
Service area
Where We Work
Based in Christiana, we work across Lancaster County and Chester County.
Lancaster County
- Christiana
- Gap
- Quarryville
- Strasburg
- Lancaster
Chester County
- Parkesburg
- Coatesville
- West Chester
- Kennett Square
- Downingtown
- Malvern
- Chester Springs
- Frazer
We have had Kings Remodeling do two previous inside projects. Very particular in regards to craftsmanship. Most recent project was removal of a fireplace mantle (builder grade). Our new mantle is a solid wood beam with handmade wood corbels. Looks great!
— Bruce BrennerCustom mantle with handmade corbels5 stars on Google
Ready to Talk About the Fireplace?
Every great project starts with your vision for your home. Tell us what you’re thinking. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours.