An Introduction to Fireplace Mantels

There are many types of fireplace mantel material, including cast iron, wood, marble, stone, and slate. Each has its own strengths and attractions, and all look equally at home in both traditional and contemporary settings. Here is a quick recap of the different types of mantel material:

Cast iron has been popularly used in the construction of fires and fireplace mantels since the Victorian era. With the advent of the industrial revolution, the production of cast iron soared, and thus it was used to create fires and fireplaces on a large scale. In fact, a typical Victorian fireplace was made entirely of cast iron – the combination cast iron fireplace comprised the grate, insert and fireback in one solid unit, and these were commonly found in bedrooms. Although commonly found, Victorian cast iron fireplaces were beautiful, with excellent standards of craftsmanship, and are still in demand today. Also, cast iron fires and fireplaces are still in production today, in line with the demand for cast iron reproduction fireplaces.

Marble is perhaps the most opulent and luxurious of all fireplace materials, and, as a result of this, it has been used to construct fireplace mantels for hundreds of years. Several hundreds of years ago, grand marble fireplaces covering a whole wall could be seen in many a stately home, and on a much smaller scale up and down the country. These were constructed from pure marble and thus very expensive, but today marble fireplaces are much more affordable. Many marble fireplaces are made from micro or conglomerate marble, and these are much cheaper than pure marble. Marble is also a very hardwearing material – it can last a lifetime – and easy to keep clean. As a result, marble fireplace mantels always have been and will continue to be in big demand.

Other popular fireplace mantel materials are wood and stone. Stone is a natural product that is millions of years old, and rustic stone fireplaces are all slightly different in terms of markings and colour. Stone is a very hardwearing material but brings a surprising warmth and softness to the home due to its colour, which is usually various tones of beige. It looks great when contrasted with the smoothness of marble. Wood is probably the most commonly used material for fireplace mantels due to its versatility and affordability, and the fact that it is very hardwearing. Most solid wood fireplaces are made from inexpensive pine and then varnished in various wood colours, but some expensive solid wood fireplaces are fashioned from mahogany or yew. Many modern wood fireplaces are mass-manufactured from MDF, and these are sold very cheaply. There really is a huge choice of wood mantels, both period and contemporary, and this is testament to their popularity.