Your Guide to Buying an Oak Mantel for Your Fireplace
I understand that not everyone has an oak beam or wishes to replace their fire surround with an oak beam, but it's actually an affordable, simple-yet-effective way of adding some style and framing your fireplace nicely. You don't necessarily have to be living in rural surroundings or in an old cottage either. We live in a house that was built in the late 1960's and it fits our home beautifully, although we do have a log burner.
If you're on the lookout for an oak beam or if you're still on the fence about whether or not you want to add an oak beam to your home decor, then I can help you to decide, hopefully. Here are a few things you should consider before you purchase your oak beam.
Think about the style of beam you would like
Most oak beams are sanded and planed, giving a more smooth, polished look. They're also likely to have been stained and oiled, ready for you to place on your chimney breast as quickly as you receive it. There are also beams available that have either only be planed or sawed only.
These are far more rustic and are perfect if you want a bit more of a project. If you buy the latter, then it gives you the opportunity to shape the wood how you would like it, but you must be experienced in the art of woodwork if you want to do this, unless you want a particularly worn and rugged look.
What about the cross section of the beam?
The cross section is, generally, the size of the beam's edges. This is made up of the height of the beam and the width of the beam. The wider the beam is, the further out the wall it comes. The larger the height, the bigger it looks from the front when mounted.
You should think about the size of the chimney breast, the size of the room and the size of the log burner or gas fire you have when decided how big or small you want the beam to be. Some can look disproportionate to its surroundings if you choose the wrong size. It's worth getting a tape measure out and picturing it in your mind before committing to a purchase.
How long would you like the beam to be?
Think about the size of your chimney breast and the size of the log burner, electric fire or gas fire. Measure it up using a tape measure and place it upon your chimney breast. This helps you to decide whether it looks proportionate with its surroundings. This is perhaps the easiest part of purchasing an oak beam for your fireplace. Lengths generally range from anywhere between 3ft and 8ft.
Which colour would you prefer?
You might think that oak comes in one shade, but this simply isn't true. Like with all types of wood, it needs to be treated and stained so as to prolong its life and prevent rot and woodworm. As such, you'll find that no oak beam is the same as another, especially if it's been planed, sawed and stained by hand.
Each one will be stained a certain colour and it's up to you to decide which one is best for you. My advice to you here is to order samples rather than making a decision by looking at pictures online. We bought three different samples so that we could feel confident in the colour we chose as oak beams aren't exactly cheap but they aren't super expensive either.
Do you want it to crack?
When it's mounted to the wall and left there for a while, you'll notice that it starts to become distressed and cracked. This is the general idea when it comes to oak beams. They acclimatise to your home, reacting to changes in temperature and what you use the beam for. Ours is purely decorative whereas others might ant to place books or trinkets on it.
Cracks are inevitable with oak beams, there's no way of preventing it. You can limit the number of cracks and how deep they run by slowly introducing it to the room you want it in. But if you want a completely crack-free mantel, then I suggest choosing a different fireplace surround.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know in the comments whether you have an oak beam at the moment or if you're now going to order one for your own home. I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post :)
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