How to Install the Mantel, Trim and Other Features of the Fireplace

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Installing a mantel and other features around your fireplace can create a stunning focal point in your home. Not only does it add style and character to the room, but it also helps keep little hands away from the fire itself. Here’s how to start installation:

1. Before you begin, map out precisely where the mantel will sit above the fireplace. You’ll need to measure from the floor up, taking into account any hearth walls or shelving that needs to be considered.

2. Check for wall studs between the two sides of the fireplace, as this is what you’ll use to mount your mantel brackets onto with lag screws (a longer screw than typical). If there are no studs present you’ll need to use drywall anchors instead for extra support; just ensure these can hold an appropriate weight for whatever feature you intend on attaching above your mantel area!

3. Next decide how far out from the back wall of your fireplace you would like your mantel and trim pieces—you don’t want them too close or too far out as this will affect its structural integrity as well as detracting away from its aesthetic appeal! Carefully measure at this point and mark this distance on all four sides of your proposed area using a pencil or marker so that when installing brackets they stay in line with each other during installation process (this could help prevent misalignments later!).

4. Before installing brackets onto wall studs or via drywall anchors, position them exactly where they will go in order to have an idea of which direction screws should be facing—you wouldn’t want them angled incorrectly! After bracket placement has been finalized, mount securely by driving either lag screws into studs or inserting drywall anchor bolts depending on whether wall has them present already (as mentioned earlier).

5. With both sets of brackets now affixed firmly into place, set about constructing mantle