

What are the Benefits of a Fireplace Mantel?
A fireplace is an integral part of the living room. It is a symbol of unity and togetherness. Making it look elegant and appealing is of paramount importance since doing this makes you want to stick around the fireplace even more. The mantel adds a feeling of touch and romance since some mantels can come in custom arts, specially designed for your taste and preference. The type of fireplace mantel will depend on a range of factors such as the size of your budget, the material, the design and finishes. This article looks at the benefits of having a fireplace mantel. .
Comes in a Wide Range of Options
A fireplace mantel adds to the elegance and improved general look of not only the fireplace, but also the whole house. Mantels come in a wide array of options, meaning you cannot lack something that fits your preference.
Mantels made of stone are the most expensive but look most elegant. At the same time, they are durable and require very low or no maintenance costs at all. Stone mantels come in ranges of rough and smooth textures.
Wood is another great option since it is also classy and can be used to match with the rest of the finishes in your living room. The main advantage of wood is that it is not flammable, making it the safest material to use on your fireplace mantel. Wood absorbs sound thus allow little amount of sound to the outside. It also retains some heat into the room, and is a great option for cold places especially during winter.
Another great choice for the mantel material is the Medium Density Fiberboard, MDF. It is relatively cheap, comes in a range of designs, for your personalized style and needs. It retains much of the heat around the fireplace, it is nonflammable, and its smooth surface makes it easy for you to paint using a color of your choice.
All these make your home stand out from the rest of the properties available for sale in the competitive industry. A potential homebuyer is likely to choose yours as their dream home, giving you a plus in your selling value.
Cost Effectiveness
A fireplace mantel helps in retaining much of the heat in the fireplace and prevents the little amount being emitted from getting lost. A fireplace mantel made of stone for example, retains the heat around the fireplace. This means that you will not need extra heating during the cold seasons or in the areas that are extremely cold. This will in the long run save you a considerable amount of money on utility bills.
Energy Efficiency
A fireplace mantel ensures that the remaining small pieces of wood burn completely to ashes. It ensures that much of the heat emitted is retained in the fireplace, allowing just a considerable amount of heat into the living room. At times, you can also decide to use the fireplace to cook your food. For instance, you can roast your meat, and you could do the barbecue in the fireplace. The mantel plays a vital role when doing the cooking since it helps retain much of the heat in the fireplace. This will save you a lot of energy and in return translate to great savings in terms of money for utility bills.
Enhanced Appeal
Having a variety of choices in mantel designs and materials to choose from, you are at liberty to make your fireplace look great, depending on your personalized taste and preference. For example, you can make the mantel a place for romantic candles, saving a considerable amount of money on electricity.
Moreover, you can also place a piece of art or family portrait on the mantel, place flower vases on the mantel or have it customized with some lighting. In addition, you can place other souvenirs such as trophies on the mantel. All these add to the appearance of the fireplace and the living room in general. It looks beautiful and appealing, which could even make you want to spend more of your evening at the fireplace. The mantel is also said to offer protection to your wall surrounding the fireplace.
Fireplace mantels are complicated features to design hence should be left to the professionals. They will advise you on the different designs available in the market. And since the primary reason for the mantel is to add to the appearance of the living room, they will not disappoint.