Gas fireplace mantle caving in

7/25/2012 at 5:14:30 AM

That's one thing I don't like about MDF -it's like thick cardboard and has little ridgidity over the long run.

To fix the sagging you'll need to pull the whole mantle away from the wall to get inside the back. Then glue, nail or screw a piece of 2x4 long enough to go accross the width of the mantle, onto the wall, at the hight of the top of the mantle but underneath. Then reattach the mantle to the wall and the 2x4. Use Dap to finish around the mantle where it meets the wall.

7/25/2012 at 8:16:58 AM

I believe you must be able to remove just to top and just replace it with 3/4" plywood. You can nail or glue decorative trim on te front and sides. I dont think you can repair the existing material.

OR, If you have this kind of mantle then its very easy to remove. checkout this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uIIrVpfVDw

7/25/2012 at 11:12:57 AM

Jon,

Both the comments below are good. It depends on how the mantle is attached as well. If you can remove it by pulling a few fasteners out (screws or nails) that is great but some mantles are built into the wall structure. In that case yoy may have to cut the mantle off and build a new one. Either way, the sagging can only be addressed by changing part of the mantle structure.

Sorry, no quick fix.