Can I use a reclaimed barn beam as a fireplace mantel?
Yes — and how we handle a barn-beam mantel in Mars Hill depends on where you are. In the easy-use gas fireplaces of the university-area rentals, clearance is tighter and more forgiving. Out in the propane-and-wood homes of Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek, the beam mounts higher over hotter fireboxes. Sound, dry timber either way.
Campus side vs country side
Near Mars Hill University, rentals favor simple, easy-use gas fireplaces, where a sealed unit's documented clearance gives a beam more room to land. Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes lean on propane or wood — hotter fireboxes that push a combustible timber higher above the opening. One town, two mounting realities.
The prep doesn't change
Whether it's a rental or a rural homestead, a reclaimed beam gets the same treatment: cleared of embedded hardware, checked and treated for wood-boring insects, and acclimated to a heated room so it doesn't crack once winter runs long — and Mars Hill is one of the colder spots we serve at 2,350 feet.
Anchored and to spec
The timber anchors into real structure with a hidden cleat, and we follow the manufacturer's mantel-height chart to the letter so the beam never scorches or dries out. Call (828) 545-0525; Mars Hill is 30 minutes north of our Asheville showroom.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.