Can I use a reclaimed barn beam as a fireplace mantel?
Yes — and in Marshall the reclaimed beam itself is the easy part; getting a heavy timber into a steep hillside home or a narrow multi-story downtown building is the real work. We plan delivery and anchoring for those tight mountainside lots, dry and de-bug the wood, and mount it at the appliance's required clearance above the opening.
Access is the challenge
Marshall's revitalized downtown is built right against the mountainside — narrow, multi-story, tight — and its hillside homes have limited access. A solid reclaimed beam is heavy, so we plan how it gets in and exactly where it anchors into real structure before the day of work, not on the fly. That planning is half the job here.
Gorge damp, and draft
The French Broad gorge brings cool, damp evenings, and those tight mountainside lots complicate chimney routing and draft. The same moisture that challenges draft also hides in reclaimed timber, so we acclimate the beam to the heated home and clear it of old nails, staples, and any wood-borers first.
Set to spec
Whatever the fuel — Marshall is mixed between gas and propane — the beam lives by the appliance's clearance-to-combustibles above the opening, and we mount it to the manufacturer's chart. Call (828) 545-0525; we're 25 minutes north of the Emma Rd showroom.
Fireplace help in Marshall
We install and service fireplaces throughout Marshall and the rest of Madison County — just 25 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.