French Country Vintage Fireplace Mantel Idea

Enjoy the before and afters of this renovation and consider using this French Country vintage fireplace mantel idea!

Happy Wednesday and Trick or Treat Eve!!  If you are visiting from What’s Up Wednesday with Sheaffer and Shay then welcome! 

Last month I talked about #10. What I’m Wearing, and I shared My Top 10 Amazon Fashion Finds for Under $30.  If you missed it, then check it out here!

This week we are looking at #4.  What We’ve Been Up to! 

We have been hard at work on the finishing details of our French Cottage Country fixer upper so that I could finally put up my fall decorations! 

In our house, fall decor is like the pre-game warm-up for Christmas.   

I. CAN’T. WAIT.  And you know what I am most excited about?? Hanging the stockings “by the chimney with care.” 

Let’s take a look at our French Country Farmhouse style reclaimed fireplace!!!!!

** If you are local, then don’t forget there are only 4 more days to enter to win 2 FREE gallons of ANY paint! 

Click here and scroll to the end for the giveaway!**

 

French Country Vintage Fireplace Mantel Idea

Finding the Reclaimed Fireplace Mantel

Remember this gorgeous 5 by 8 foot piece of history turned into the heaviest piece of furniture we have ever owned that I found on Facebook Marketplace? 

Well, what I may not have told you is that when we arrived to pick it up the owner of the house said, “If you see anything else you want in the house let me know. 

We are having a moving sale.”  I had already “bought” half the house before Zach stepped in the front door. 

One of these items was an incredible antique fireplace mantel from the early 1900s.

Chippy.  Detailed.  And beautiful.

So we loaded up in the snow and took home our treasures!

Our kids literally don’t blink an eye when one has the back of a bench hanging over her head and another rode with an antique dough bowl across his lap.  #reallife

French Country Vintage Fireplace Mantel Idea

Restoring the Reclaimed Fireplace Mantel

Time to get to work!  First I took a small wire brush over the whole piece. 

Gently, but when reclaiming chippy antiques you must eliminate the loose “chips” because this is likely lead-based paint.

As I chipped away the loose paint I went over the whole piece with a fine grit sandpaper.

Brush down the whole piece and then spray with a matte clear lacquer to seal the “chippy” paint. 

The lacquer gives a smooth finish to the piece which then makes it easier to wipe down etc.

French Country Farmhouse Style Reclaimed Fireplace Reveal

Installing the Reclaimed Fireplace Mantel

I found a Dimplex electric fireplace with a full mantel set on Facebook marketplace that I tore apart and put back together to incorporate the reclaimed mantel.

The smallest, cutest, and rascaliest (?) of our 3 miniature helpers.

And the other two helpers!!!

Pink genuine leather tool belt with matching hammer, 5 year old sneakers, paint stained shorts and t-shirt?  Uh-huh.  That’s right.   We work in style around here.

Mantel is in!!  Now to build out the frame for the vertical shiplap, trim out said shiplap, and install the reclaimed brick surround.

In the meantime let’s get some decorations up!  I simply cannot wait until the construction’s totally finished.  I can’t do it.

French CountryVintage Fireplace Mantel Idea

Installing the Reclaimed Brick Surround

This past winter I bought 2 skids of reclaimed brick from a local greenhouse.  I could do a whole post on all of the projects we have used these bricks for! 

Fireplace surround, the breakfast nook walls (check out the reveal here!), the kitchen backsplash, the foyer floor, the sunroom floor, lining the flower beds, building garden boxes, the outdoor fire ring…seriously. 

Most bang for our buck ever.

But as you can see here, not without significant sweat equity.  Zach cut every single one of the bricks for the above mentioned projects himself.   #myhero

And this sweet little helper was Daddy’s brick stacker.

LOOK at that reclaimed thin brick.  My heart goes pitter-patter just looking at it.

Just gorgeous.  Some girls get excited about make-up.

This girl gets excited about reclaimed thin bricks.

And yummy smelling candles.

And a classy pair of stiletto heels.

And freshly ground coffee beans.

I digress.

Up goes the brick surround!  We used a true white grout and a semi-gloss sealer.

French Country Farmhouse Style Reclaimed Fireplace Reveal

Without further ado!!

I cannot WAIT for Santa to come down this chimney 😉  Have a great Wednesday!!

Shop our family room, and pin the image below for later!