What happens to mantels
Northern New Jersey's housing stock is full of Victorians, colonials and craftsman houses with original wood mantels — and most of them have been through five or six coats of paint, a stray heat gun, a failed radiator, or a well-meaning remodel that cut the mouldings back. Common problems we are called for:
- Layers of thick, chipped or alligatored paint hiding the profile of the carving
- Heat and smoke damage — scorched, crazed or blistered finish above the firebox
- Split or shrunk panels, opened mitres, loose corbels and pilasters
- Missing or damaged mouldings, rosettes and applied carving
- Water damage from a leaking chimney flashing
- A mantel that simply no longer suits the room — dark stain in a light room, or paint over wood that deserves to be seen
How we work on them
Wherever we can, the mantel comes off the wall and into the shop. That gives us a spray booth, dust control, and no fumes in your living room. Where a surround is built in and cannot be removed safely, we work on site with proper containment.
Stripping is done by hand and by chemical, never by grinder — carved detail is easy to destroy and impossible to put back. Splits are cut out and let in, missing mouldings are run to match, then the whole thing is finished: stain and clear coat if the wood is worth showing, or a hand-sprayed enamel if it is a painted mantel. Painted work we spray, not brush; brush marks are what makes a paint job look like a paint job.
What it costs
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Refinish a simple mantel shelf and surround | $600 – $1,100 |
| Strip, repair and refinish a standard wood mantel | $900 – $1,800 |
| Ornate Victorian or carved mantel, multi-layer paint removal | $1,500 – $3,500 |
| Rebuild missing mouldings, corbels or carving | from $250 |
| Build a new mantel to match the house | quoted individually |
Before and after
The mantel above was rebuilt and sprayed in a colour chosen to match the room, not the catalogue. Colour matching is free and we bring samples.
Common questions
Can you strip paint off a mantel and leave the wood natural?
Sometimes. It depends what is underneath. Some mantels were painted from new over softwood or over several different species and will never look right stained. We test a hidden area first and show you what the bare wood actually looks like before you commit.
Do you have to remove the mantel from the wall?
Not always, but we prefer to. Working in the shop means a spray booth, better control and no dust or fumes in your home. Built-in surrounds that cannot come off safely we do on site with containment.
How long does it take?
Most mantels are one to three weeks in the shop. On-site work is usually two to four days.
Do you build new mantels?
Yes — to match existing millwork in the house, or to a design you bring us. Quoted individually.
What areas do you cover?
Dover, Rockaway, Randolph, Denville, Wharton, Mine Hill, Morristown, Parsippany, Chester, Mendham and the rest of Morris County, plus much of northern New Jersey.
Send a photo of your fireplace
One wide shot of the room and two close-ups of the damage. We will tell you what is possible and what it will cost.