# Plaster fireplace with integrated mantel



## VCB (Mar 5, 2021)

Hi All, My name is Ian and I have a small construction company in VT where we do custom residential homes both conventional built and timber frame. I bought a small investment property I am renovating and love the look of this fireplace. I have no experience with plaster at all. I have a 36" fireplace xtrordinair pro builder series I am going to use for the fireplace. I am looking for suggestions on
1- How to integrate a mantel in like this with the cove underneath
2- what material to use for the mantel
3- What plaster to use
4- what would the corner bead be?

I know this may be a little difficult just looking at a picture from an advertisement but any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Very Best,

Ian


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## endo_alley (Nov 2, 2013)

Hello Ian. For what you have in the photo, I would begin by securing wood framing to the fireplace walls probably glued and back lagged into a framing member or backing on the back wall. Needs to be fairly strong. For the underside curve, I would use EPS foam, which I would carefully scarf out into the proper round shape. A piece of Diamond lathe wrapped around and stapled to a piece of plywood with a similar shape profile would help scallop the foam to the proper shape. Glue the foam to the wood framing. Probably top and bottom. Finish sand to desired shape. Use EIFS detail mesh embedded by smooth set ore even EIFS basecoat if you are familiar with that. Use good finishing skills from there on to fine tune the shape. You could use a finish plaster to finish this. But if you are sufficiently a non professional at it that you need to ask how to do this, then I would recommend smooth set drywall mud. Learning to use plaster adds about five new steps of difficulty for a beginner to master. We do lots of applications like this with integral color finish plasters and textures.


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