The Fireplace: Before and After

Drum roll, please......

It is undecorated, but all the painting, sanding, and staining are done! Jeff did all the cutting in (and coaching), but I did just about everything else! (can you tell I'm proud of myself?)

I am SO thrilled to have this project done. I have several "before" pictures of the fireplace up on my last post, but here is another one:

This is much more my style than the dark, outdated brick.  

Here are a few pictures of the steps we went through to get the mantle refinished:

 

Jeff unbolted the mantle from the supporting blocks and took it outside to the patio where I began sanding it down.  

 

This was after it was all sanded, "tack-clothed" and prepped for staining. I love all the details of the grain!

We chose a Dark Walnut stain. I applied the stain with sponge brushes and then wiped the excess off with rags. Nothing fancy. After that dried, I applied 2 coats of fast-drying polyurethane (clear satin). 

Four hours after the last coat of poly, the mantle was ready to go! And there you have it.

 If you have any questions on what we did (techniques or products), please ask! 

Happy Monday!