As much as people seem to be looking for gray mantels, we just don’t get good quality gray material in. The gray you see on most mantels is usually uneven. It doesn’t have the next perfect look people imagine. In addition, the gray is essentially fine dirt settling into the fibers of the wood. As soon as you put any finish on the wood, the gray darkens. As soon as you brush or sand the piece, the gray disappears and the tannish wood is revealed. This mantel is about the best natural gray we can get.

This particular piece came from an original settle log home near Kimball, Minnesota. That area was settled in the late 1800s. The funny thing about this place was the lath made of little sticks. The interior of the home must have been plastered once upon a time. Typically they used nice, consistent 1/4in x 1 1/2 in strips of pine. In this case, they used these little tree branches nailed in place with tiny little square nails.