We mounted the mantle last week and I think it looks pretty great.
First we tiled a piece of 3/4" plywood with black subway tile and attached the board to the inside of the mantle. Then we attached a ledge anchor with some masonry screws and glue to the brick wall. A few screws to attach the mantle to the anchor board and we are all set.
Only a few things left to do to complete this project. Add molding across the top to cover the small gap between the wall and the mantle. We didn't want to damage the original baseboard so we had to mount the mantle in front of the board creating the small gap. Next we want to get a nice piece of slate for the hearth and think we will be done.
oh, well we want to mount a mirror over the mantle and then we will be done.
