It's a shame the current piece won't work, but understand that you don't want something precariously balanced up there! I prefer the longer length - I think the 48" looks too stubby. I'm not sure whether I'd use your current wood or replace it (the warp might bother me if it's very noticeable), but I'd definitely stick with the 60" length.

The mantel was the right (width) size before. Anything smaller would look wrong.

If that piece of wood is warped, go find something else to use. Home Depot and Lowes will cut wood for you, assuming you buy it there. It shouldn't be too expensive to replace and cutting it to the right size should be easy.

Well, the wood carving place was a bust. They only did rustic, split log type mantels. And they were very pricey, too.

Here's some pics that show the warping:

Really, I don't know if it's going to bother me that much, and I don't know how noticable it will be with "stuff" on it. I suspect not much. You really can't tell if you're looking at it straight on, just from the side.

DH is going to try and cut that piece down to 9" deep tommorrow.

A slab of fieldstone or bluestone would look great and you should be able to get a thick piece cut to size from a local garden stone/gravel/paver place.

I like the size, length and depth of it as is. The scale looks perfect for the fp and that wall of built ins. The warping is barely noticeable and when you have things on the mantel, probably even less.

Can you look into having it securely attached to the brackets? Seems like you could drill into the brackets, straight down and bolt it down and also glue it to the brackets. That would secure it without having to cut it. you could fill the holes if needed, or just hide them with decor.

I don't think the bowing looks too bad. If it is cut down to 9", it should be less noticeable...

(Fieldstone and bluestone are readily available only in certain regions, right?)

I would surly use the same piece. But then again I like it full length too. My issue would be thickness. Sized as it is, It will get lost in the room. Your mantel should make a statement, ideally it would become the focal point of that room. There is also an installation page on our site that might help you a bit with install ideas. ~ Vic

spam reported

I'm hoping you're not referring to my recent post.

I guess I don't understand when certain posts are considered 'spam'... old posts can be found when doing a search...the response above was very appropriate, albeit late!! but, still appropriate if someone is searching (rather than posting) to get answers to a similar question/problem about mantels... the poster clearly identifies himself as a pro. so, why spam??

I didn't notice how old the post was until after.

Advice from pros is welcome and allowed. Directing people to your website to sell them something is not allowed here and is considered spam.