A Mantel for the Back Porch Fireplace

There is a point in life when one needs a little help from friends with DIY projects. We asked for help with this project. We stained the mantel, someone put it together for us.
Over the years we've discussed a mantel for the porch fireplace. November 2012, we decided we are definitely not getting any younger and made the decision to get going on the project.
Of course there were a couple of little glitches; weather, time, and health.
The first week of February 2013 the project got underway.
The porch is protected, so we decided to give water based stain a try. We'll see how that goes, for now.












































Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/999499/a-mantel-for-the-back-porch-fireplace site