Type of mantel for Heat & Glo Northstar?

[Pdog]

We finally pulled the trigger on the NorthStar and it is installed. We would really like to have a timber mantel installed but it seems the installer is pushing us to use a masonry one. We like the look of the masonry as well, but would really prefer a dark timber. They informed us it would need to be installed higher than the masonry which makes sense.

Just curious, anyone go with a timber mantel and regret it? Gets too hot, etc?

Thanks guys

 

[begreen]

The installer is correct. A wood timber mantel would need to be at least 14" higher (min 46" vs 60"). If that is what's desired then follow the manual's guidance and it should be ok. One caveat with wood is that the timber mantel may check or split as the heat dries it out.

 

[begreen]

Here are some examples of wood mantels with new ZC fireplaces that may help you visualize the final look with a wood mantel. The last is a Northstar.

 

[Pdog]

Awesome. Thanks guys

 

[David.Ervin]

I've got a northstar, and I'll confirm the wood mantel being farther away thing. It looks fine, but if you're a shorter person you may not enjoy climbing up there to change decor. Even where it is, if the blower is off, the wood gets "uncomfortably" warm to the touch when you've got a good hot fire going.

 

[begreen]

One could add a heat shield on spacers to the bottom of the mantel for extra peace of mind. It can be painted black or brown to blend in.

 

[Pdog]

My wife is very short, she may not be happy about that as she is always messing with something up there

Interesting about that temp, has it been so hot to make you think about changing something or are you ok just monitoring it? Since I will not always be around to control the temp as my wife will be when I am at work, this makes me question if we should just go with a masonry mantel to match the hearth.

 

[Pertzbro]

Have you looked at non-combustible mantels that look like wood?

http://magrahearth.com/products

http://www.mantelsdirect.com/standard_stone_shelves.html

 

[dBrad]

Yep that class of ZC require 60" of clearance - we ran into this with our 7100. The fireplace and hearth were already stone so we went with a stone mantel with stone corbels. I like the look of our wood mantel on the outdoor fireplace better, but we wanted our TV above the 7100 and there was no way I was going to hang it that high. I also like the peace of mind knowing that the stone slab mantel can get as hot as the 7100 wants to get it - no worries when I'm away.

 

[Pdog]

Hmm, have to look into the ones that look like wood, thanks.
We do not plan on hanging much up above, but are starting to think the raised mantel may not look as good as having it closer to the fireplace.

 

[dBrad]

Here's ours during construction.

7100 during construction

• dBrad
• Aug 29, 2018

 

[Pdog]

Beautiful. Did you get the mantel online or locally?

 

[dBrad]

We got both the hearth and mantel at a local stone yard. Our stone masons installed them. If you go this route, choose someone who is familiar with hanging heavy stone like that. The mantel is around 6ft long and probably weighs 500lbs.

 

[Pdog]

Wow. Thanks. When the installer was speaking to my wife, they indicated they could do a masonry one with 2 supports underneath (one on each side) or use brackets which would bolt to the wall prior to installing the stone which would be barely visible. There would be about 4 of those.

 

[dBrad]

Yep sounds like he knows what he's doing. We did the stone corbels (obviously) and they also used lots of angle iron where the back of the mantel meets the framing. The stone covers it up.

 

[venator260]

I have a Magrahearth mantle above my fireplace, and we're happy with it; it has a believable wood look to it. It's also ceramic, and I believe that it was only about 100 pounds. It is light enough for one person to lift, I unloaded it from my wife's car myself. In our situation, we had to go with a non-combustible mantle as our ceilings are low enough that a wood mantle mounted at the proper height would have looked silly so close to the ceiling.

 

[Pdog]

Great, thanks guys. I'm going to see what the store says about ordering one of those. I'm sure it will be an extra charge.

 

[Pdog]

Well, after a couple of months of going back and forth with the company we purchased the fireplace from, we were finally able to get the contractor here this weekend to install the stone. Of course they sent an unfinished mantle which was supposed to be a dark brown and a stained hearth. So those are being reordered, but we finally have something enjoyable to look at.

We are going to do a couple of smaller fires to let the paint cure then let er rip.