One of the few original mantels to survive the Greek Revival renovation of the Pennybacker House in the mid-nineteenth century.  Four color shades were used to highlight the delicate detailing of the federal style

The original chimney and mantle had been removed in a nineteenth century renovation and replaced with a wood stove flue.  Vertical tongue and groove boards outlined where the original mantle once existed.  

The original mantel was located underneath a staircase but had unfortunately been cut down.  200 year old heartwood pine was spliced in to replace the missing length.  Custom molding was milled and a fan design was carved to match the original design. Paint was later removed to reveal the earliest Federal blue color scheme. 

The restored woodwork was finished with milk paint, the walls with shellac, and the restored floor with varnish.  Because a nineteenth century kitchen addition existed where the initial stone chimney had been, a local folk artist painted a design to fill the hearth area.  A stone was used to represent the location of the old flue.  

Paint and firebrick covered much of the original detail of the early and unique mantel.

Paint was carefully removed from the mantel to allow traces of the intricate original color scheme to survive.  Clear de-waxed shellac was applied to protect these details.   The original keystone had been cracked and, in turn, stressed the iron lintel  below.  Several courses of stonework above the lintel were removed and relaid with a new keystone and lintel.    Brick was replaced and the back was sacrificially parged.  A cast iron fireback is used to protect the chimney stone.   

Munch House Parlor Mantle, 1834 - Fort Valley

A rare and  unique original paint scheme still survives on this early mantle.  Here we restored the masonry and plaster in the hearth as well as through out the room.  The decorative paint was reproduced where necessary.    

An interesting find that we uncovered during the restoration was this early German fire back from Pennsylvania.  When we removed the iron from the masonry we found that the back side had a casting of a biblical scene and German  writing.  We cleaned the metal and flipped it around.  Research was done and it was discovered that it was cast in the early 1700's.  Later we found a match to it in another fireplace  in an adjacent room.

An example of a very early rustic walk in cooking style hearth.  Here the stone back was relaid and pointed with hydraulic lime mortar.  Antique bricks expand out into the room.       

This Victorian hearth in Strasburg, Va had been bricked off years before to improve energy efficiency.  Here we added a decorative tile treatment with victorian tiles that were found in the attic - probably removed from the house in an earlier renovation.   

Adella Watkinson applying finishing touches to a parge coat inside this Greek revival style mantel.  The decorative painting is an early Germanic style.