DIY Faux Mantel

I don't know about you guys but I absolutely love having a fireplace. Electric or real, I don't care. I love the coziness element especially during the cold winter months. One thing that I was really missing in our RV was a mantel. Fireplaces and mantels they just go hand in hand, right? Well, at least in my head they do. I was sick of looking at the very awkward and bulky "entertainment center" situated right above our fireplace. To be honest, we hardly ever used it and it was such an eye sore but I didn't want to completely remove it. So that is where the idea of the mantel came in! I wanted the mantel to be hollow inside so that I could simply place it overtop the entertainment center. That way, if necessary, I could easily remove the mantel and use the entertainment center. Plus it is lighter in weight, which is perfect as weight restrictions are an important factor in RV living.

Before

To create the mantel I measured the length of the entertainment center and added 4 inches then measured the height and added 2 inches, this way I could assure the mantel would fully cover the entertainment center with room to spare. I went to Home Depot, selected my wood and had them cut it to the dimensions I needed. I ended up with two 34 in x 3.5 in x 1 in, two 7 in x 3.5 in x1 in and one 34 in x 5.5 in x1 in boards.

To begin, I sanded each board, washed the residue off with a damp cloth and allowed the boards to fully dry. Next I placed the 34 in x 5.5 in board on a flat work table, I then took a 34 in x 3.5 in and positioned it to the right and perpendicular to the 34 in x 5.5 in board. In simpler terms, I had created an "L" shape with the two pieces of wood. I then used a drill to create three pilot holes drilling from the 34 in x 3.5 in into the 34 in x 5.5 in board. I created a pilot hole that was 1/4 in smaller than the nails I had. I placed a nail in each of the pilot holes and used a nail sinker to sink the nails just below the surface of the wood so that I could easily cover the holes with wood putty later on.

I repeated this step attaching the second 34 in x 3.5 in board to the other side of the 34 in x 5.5 in board. To finish, I lined up and attached each of the 7 in x 3.5 in pieces on opposing sides to create the end caps for the mantel. I filled all pilot holes with wood putty and then used a cloth, dipped in stain, to stain the wood putty and blend with the wood. While allowing the mantel to dry, I screwed in two L shaped brackets on either side of the entertainment center. These would support the mantel and allow it to sit flush against the wall.

Now for the fun part, simply mount the mantel and style it how you choose! I hope ya'll found this helpful, if you have any questions please make sure to drop a comment below. If you decide to create your own tag me on Instagram at elloreeinspired I'd love to see it!