We always wanted a real barn beam in the house, we bought an old ash beam that we used to create a modern mantel.
Wood type: Ash (Hand Hewn Beam)
Finish: Polyurethane
Hardware: 2x4 and screws - that is it!
Finish: Polyurethane
Hardware: 2x4 and screws - that is it!
The first step was to clean the mold and dirt off the old hand hewn beam with soap and water.
The next step was to plan on how I would mount this heavy beam mantel. After some research, I decided to save some money and mount it on a 2 x 4. The first step was to 'hollow out the back of the mantel so that there was enough room for the 2x4. This also made the ash barn beam lighter.
I used a circular saw and then used a hammer and chisel to finish the job. It wasn't pretty but it worked quite well.
I then screwed the 2 x4 four to the wall
I then had my sister give me a hand, and we placed the mantel over the 2x4. The last step was to screw the mantel into the 2x4 from the top.
Project Complete!