Solid fuel fires and wooden mantel pieces

[Sausagegirl]

I'm about to replace our manky old fireplace for a nice new one.

Do wooden mantels warp or crack from the heat of solid fuel fires, or is that a yarn the woman in the limestone surround shop spun me because - let's face it - she wants me to buy one of her limestone surrounds?

Suspect I know the answer but best to check with the rest of the world!

[landscaper2]

We have a log burner standing in the fireplace, with a timber mantle piece, made out of an old piece of 6 x 3, planed down, stained and varnished, resting on bricks coming out of the chimney breast about 4' off the hearth. Been there 15 years, no problem. Make sure the wood is seasoned tho. I used an old bit.

[gallapunk]

If you got one of those cheap pine things from B&Q or whatever, then yes, it probably wouldn't be much good over time; they're more for a 'period' look - with a gas fire. Kind of a contradiction in terms, but anyway ...

They had good old solid wood fire surrounds and/or mantels in Victorian days and long before, so yes, she's spinning you a yarn, as salespeople are (probably) supposed to do, otherwise they wouldn't be doing their job?

I'd say your instincts are right Sausagegirl.

[spudqueen]

We've got a wooden mantelpiece and surround and it has warped over the years of real fire use.

[Sausagegirl]

Oooh, Spudqueen. How many years use? How often do you use your fire?

[webdude]

We have an 8kW log burner in our lounge, and the people who owned the house before us had put a timber mantle piece about 12 inches above the log burner. The first cold winters night when I got a good blaze going, we could smell burning, and sure enough the underside of the mantle piece was blackened and scorched. So I would say be careful and next time you have the fire burning put your hand above it and see just how hot it gets.