Please note: Installation instructions (PDF) are furnished upon delivery or by request.

Planning & Preparation

We can give you the estimated weight of your mantel by request. Check with your contractor or an engineer or truss company. The latter will normally do load calculations for free, since they're in the business of selling beams & ancillary services.

In most cases, normal home construction loads are adequate, but the weight may require some cross-bracing or other additional floor support to distribute the load.

Dancing Stone is not responsible for installation and precautionary or necessary load measures.

Individual components of our mantles, columns or fountains can weigh as much as several hundred pounds and it is highly recommended that at least two persons be present for any installations. Our popular Provence fireplace mantle requires four strong people to install, due to its size and weight.

Fireplace mantels and columns are one of the last things to go into a room. Ideally, the floors should be installed and finished and the walls ready for paint or painted. Inlays or mosaics are installed when the flooring would go down, but relieves, fountains and columns are often also installed last.

Installations need to be done by a professional, such as a contractor or tradesman (mason, marble/granite installer).

Your installation is easiest and your mantle cheapest, when the face of your fireplace is in the same plane as your finished wall. This is often the case in new construction and can easily be planned this way.

If the mantle protrudes into the room, the stone mantle needs to not only face and surround the front of the firebox, but also wrap around the sides (and sometimes top). Our mantles are free standing and self supporting. Contrary to stone veneer and certain cast "stone" imitation products, they do not require a framed, wooden or masonry “box” to attach to.

To the contrary, a box surrounding an existing fireplace is best removed completely, except for perhaps a few inches of facing immediately surrounding the gas or electric fireplace insert (for attaching the stone blinds, if used).

The same is true of any raised hearth that is built in front. Our floor and raised hearths sit directly on your hardwood floor (or sub-floor in case of carpeting) and do not need any support.

Assembly, Installation & Safety

Fireplace mantels or columns are assembled and installed from the ground up. The base is fitted, levelled and glued into place first. Normally, construction adhesive is used to secure the pieces to floor and wall.

Two-component epoxy, ideally the same colour as the stone, is used for assembly of the parts.

With fireplaces, the legs are set on top of the hearth, the flat stone “blinds” or filler panels that immediately surround the firebox are attached to the legs and wood or masonry backing (if available).

The top (architrave) is then set on top of the legs and glued to the wall.

The legs of larger fireplace mantles are usually fitted with flexible metal straps for further (earthquake) safety, which are attached to the top inside of the legs. Once the leg is set up, the metal straps are screwed to the nearest wall stud in order to fully secure the piece.

For further safety (especially with top-heavy designs such as The Vancouver), you may attach a moulding strip immediately on top of the architrave and screw it into the wall studs.

This secures the top and keeps it from tipping forward, should excessive force or strain be put on the finished installation.

Needless to say, do not climb or stand on top of your mantle.

Cutting

A fireplace mantle will arrive in several factory-fitted pieces. Columns, fountains and other products also come in several sections, mosaics and marble inlays in pre-assembled squares.

In order to safe-guard the integrity of the product during shipping, some pieces are shipped over-size. They may require cutting and fitting, before they can be installed.

This is easily accomplished with a portable saw fitted with a diamond blade (plus water from a spray bottle) and should be done outside.

Finishing & Protection

Once the mantle is completely set in place and installed, any minor gaps or fissures can either be filled with appropriately coloured epoxy, colour matched, un-sanded grout. Only use silicon caulking to seal against the wall.

Stone surfaces are porous, especially limestone. Sealing is optional. Polished marble usually needs no surface treatment.

It is generally recommended that limestone be sealed with a professional sealer in order to protect the surface from spills, smudges and dirt.
A sealed surface is much easier to clean than an un-sealed, porous surface, which may soak up contaminants.

There are many stone sealers available from your professional stone supplier, such as Aquamix or Stonetech. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for proper application.

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