painted fireplace mantels...

Our home was built in the 80's and so a lot of the changes we have made (or would like to make) involve updating outdated parts of the house.  Our home is a constant work in progress but I feel like we have come a long way since we moved in.  For instance, we had two oak fireplace mantels that bugged me from day one.  Here are some pictures of them from before we moved in...

The one on the left is in our family room and the one on the right is in our living room.  The oak was nice but very outdated and did not match our furniture.  I decided painting the mantels would be a great (and cheaper) alternative to replacing them completely.  After some sanding, priming, painting, and poly, this is what they look like today...

Here is a quick comparison...

So much better right?  The white mantels make the rooms look lighter and more up to date.  So if you ever come across the same dilemma, I would definitely recommend painting an outdated mantel before replacing one.  Just think, if it ends up not working out, you can always replace them later!

Check out these other great painted mantels...

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