Antique Fireplace Mantel Through the Years

I’ve shared how our antique fireplace mantel has changed through the years with different decor, styling and different wood finishes.

Who loves history? Who loves furniture with history? Me me me! One big reason I love antiques and vintage furniture is that it has a story. Even though I might not know that story, I still think it’s cool to have something that’s been passed through the ages. Oh if walls, or furniture, could talk right? One of my favorite pieces of antique decor in our home is my 1890’s antique fireplace mantel. It’s been through a few different “looks” and I wanted to share the evolution of those different “looks” with you in a post all about my antique fireplace mantel with a few different styles.

Let’s talk about what the antique fireplace mantel looked like when I purchased it.

Below is the listing from craigslist. Yep, this baby came from craigslist.

It was salvaged from an 1800’s home that was going to be demolished in downtown Pensacola Florida.

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The original Antique Fireplace mantel

I won’t go through all the details of how I stripped it down (5 paint layers later, ugh). Just know that it was a serious labor of love.

Because this antique mantel was from the 1800’s, I knew it had lead paint. I couldn’t bring it home with my teething toddler knowing that it had a toxins.

So the paint stripping began.

Note: Check out the best paint stripping technique.

antique mantel after stripping the paint

Finally I stripped the fireplace mantel down to the bare wood.

What next? how would I finish the wood?

I decided on a white wash technique. I wanted to lighten up the wood tones without losing the some color.

I then added a DIY birch wood fireplace cover for a faux wood fireplace insert.

Antique fireplace mantel stripped down and white washed

You can see all about how I achieved this look and more about the beginnings of my vintage fireplace mantel.

How to Create an Antique Fireplace Mantel From Craigslist

If you know me, you know that finish didn’t last long.

I decided the white wash look didn’t fit the antique vibe of the mantel. I wanted it to look more “vintage” like something from the 1800’s would.

After some deliberation, I decided to add a “chippy paint technique” to the mantel. By the way, this is the easiest antique chippy paint technique I’ve found to date!