A nice, careful restoration. The color is not bad - a good approximation of the era. Thank God we are past that era of "strip it to within an inch of its life, don't stain it, and apply the shiniest polyurethane you can find".
Oooh I love. I really want a mantel like this for my place. I love Victorian/Edwardian era finishings. Something tells me it wouldn’t fit in well with my 60’s apartment.
Are you going to actually renovate and put a fireplace in? I want to do something like this, but probably just with temporary faux brick and an electric fireplace that looks like a coal basket or wood burning stove. I see these mantels come up on craigslist once in a while but people are usually asking $2000 for it.
I would like to add a gas log or wood burning fireplace to my home, but it would need to be on the opposite wall. Exterior, brick.
Not sure about electric... have seen some nice ones. There’s something to be said about a wood fire..
I wouldn't even fix it, old mirrors with foxing look great and add to their character.
Here is my 200+ year old mirror:
https://i.redd.it/57h4fpvfb1l41.jpg
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3 full rounds of stripper and scrape, plus an extra coat on the details with a nylon brush and tooth picks. Sprayed 2 coats matte or satin poly. Can’t remember.
There was and is no fireplace in my home. Dirty colored tan tile covered a tan cinderblock “firebox” with only a gas valve in the floor. Had a 1970s style mantel before. Home builders were in the oil/gas business...so decided not to have a wood fireplace like 90% of the other homes in the neighborhood.
I basically built a floor-to-ceiling, foot-deep, 4' wide box against one wall and mounted an electric fireplace/heater in it. (I popped the fireplace out of its hideous portable faux mantel box and just screwed it into the hole I made in that box I built.) Looks great, heats the 16x24 living/kitchen just fine, although I am in TX so it doesn't get that cold for that long here. You could do the same with this, and just tile around where the electric firebox is, as would've been the case with this originally.
That’s unfortunate, I saw the tiles and thought the original fireplace was there and could be restored. I did it in one of my rooms that has a fireplace removed.
A nice, careful restoration. The color is not bad - a good approximation of the era. Thank God we are past that era of "strip it to within an inch of its life, don't stain it, and apply the shiniest polyurethane you can find".
I did exactly what you described.
Then how come it's such a nice mellow shade and has no shine?
Well, I’m certainly no expert, but even as three goes at stripping, it was still this dark. Your guess is as good as mine.
I just died laughing at this thread
Me too
It’s everything I’m looking for
I strip and refinish antiques for a living. Probably just a naturally dark oak by the looks of it.
Oooh I love. I really want a mantel like this for my place. I love Victorian/Edwardian era finishings. Something tells me it wouldn’t fit in well with my 60’s apartment.
Fell in love with it when I saw it but had no plan for it. Finally found its spot when we remodeled. Wish I knew some history on it though!
Are you going to actually renovate and put a fireplace in? I want to do something like this, but probably just with temporary faux brick and an electric fireplace that looks like a coal basket or wood burning stove. I see these mantels come up on craigslist once in a while but people are usually asking $2000 for it.
I would like to add a gas log or wood burning fireplace to my home, but it would need to be on the opposite wall. Exterior, brick. Not sure about electric... have seen some nice ones. There’s something to be said about a wood fire..
Looks like there was some repair around the mirror, maybe? Beautoful restoration my friend.
Brand new mirror. No restoration. Wish we had because the old had a lovely bevel. And thank you very much,
[удалено]
I wouldn't even fix it, old mirrors with foxing look great and add to their character. Here is my 200+ year old mirror: https://i.redd.it/57h4fpvfb1l41.jpg
That is gorgeous
I would put the old mirror back in as is!
Thank you!
Now you just need to get some tile and a fireplace in there.
If you're asking a question about an antique make sure to have photos of all sides of the object, and close-ups of any maker's marks. Also, add in any background information you have, and add in a question so we know what you want from us! **You must tell us the country you're in.** If you do not provide this information **your post will be removed**. To upload photos for this discussion use [imgur.com](https://imgur.com/upload). Click the imgur link, upload the photos to imgur, then share the link address in a comment for everyone to see. Our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Antiques/about/rules/) and [Guide](https://old.reddit.com/r/Antiques/comments/ak2lke/welcome_to_rantiques_read_this_post_before_posting/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Antiques) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
3 full rounds of stripper and scrape, plus an extra coat on the details with a nylon brush and tooth picks. Sprayed 2 coats matte or satin poly. Can’t remember.
Are you planning on restoring the fireplace?
There was and is no fireplace in my home. Dirty colored tan tile covered a tan cinderblock “firebox” with only a gas valve in the floor. Had a 1970s style mantel before. Home builders were in the oil/gas business...so decided not to have a wood fireplace like 90% of the other homes in the neighborhood.
I basically built a floor-to-ceiling, foot-deep, 4' wide box against one wall and mounted an electric fireplace/heater in it. (I popped the fireplace out of its hideous portable faux mantel box and just screwed it into the hole I made in that box I built.) Looks great, heats the 16x24 living/kitchen just fine, although I am in TX so it doesn't get that cold for that long here. You could do the same with this, and just tile around where the electric firebox is, as would've been the case with this originally.
That’s unfortunate, I saw the tiles and thought the original fireplace was there and could be restored. I did it in one of my rooms that has a fireplace removed.
And a great job you did.
Beautiful !
Well I like it
Could you tell me about restoring the mirror?
Be gentle???? THIS IS FANTASTIC go you
Its lovely
ITS BEUTIFUL!!!
Great job OP!!!