Adding an Inexpensive Wood Fireplace Mantel for $10

You know how you look at something in your house, and over and over you wonder how it would look if you mixed it up a bit? For about a year now, I had the idea of adding an inexpensive wood fireplace mantel  to the top of my faux surround for some contrast with all of the white. I went back and forth between whether or not I wanted to spend some money on a nice piece of barnwood, or big chunk of rectangular oak, or if I wanted to go a little bit less expensive route. I decided for now to go the less expensive route and pick up an $8 board at the home improvement store. I thought it would be a good way to test out if I liked the look or not.

I just picked up a 1 x 8 common board, and cut it so it had a slight overhang on the sides of my current mantel by about an inch. I didn’t have any stain on hand, so I mixed craft paint as a stain. I used Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna, and a little Yellow Ochre to get the wood stain look I was going for.

I used a slightly damp paper towel to rub the paint into the wood, spreading it evenly.

Once the paint was rubbed in and I had the color I wanted, I let it dry. After it was completely dry, I used a matte varnish to seal the inexpensive wood mantel, and deepen the color.

It was weird to see our mantel so completely empty.

I placed the board on top, and added a couple of screws to hold it in place, and it was done!

Stop back on Wednesday, and you can see how it looks all put together. I am joining a group of bloggers for a fall mantel tour!