Custom walnut mantels with hand-hammered metal inlays: Showcasing the beauty of black walnut with metalwork. We’ve crafted a lot of these mantels over the years. They show off the wonderful flowing grains and beauty of the black walnut but add a hint of interesting rustic character. They are a nice way to create a solid piece in that 4.5 to 6-inch thickness. They really are stunning. There are lots of pictures in this set of various mantels we’ve done in the past.

We work with small local sawmills to get wood with more character. Grade A select walnut wood that can be a little too boring and clean for our taste. We like that good character around here. Walnut is a classic wood that’s known for its rich, dark color and beautiful grain. It’s no wonder it’s still the go-to choice for people who want to add a touch of elegance to their homes.

The metalwork is created hand by Wyatt Bienfang of WLB Blacksmith Shop. He’s both a great craftsman as well as an exceptionally solid individual. Our family has been blessed and graced with his presence for about 15 years now. We’ve created a couple hundred mantels together as well as dozens of tables. His work is the real deal — hand hammered and coal forged. It has a nice color variation that only comes from real coal heat. He can also manage the texture of the metal to create a more or less rustic look.

These walnut mantels are actually created in 3 solid layers. That’s a good thing. We use properly dried solid wood on each layer. With thinner layers, we can be assured that the wood is properly dried so that there are no surprise cracks, twists, or other misbehavior in the wood in the future. We send the middle layer off to Wyatt to get a custom fit. On return, we join all of the parts together for a nice tight fit. We usually finish the entire piece with a high-end finish called Rubio Monocoat, but we can use other methods as well.

This exact mantel has been sold. A walnut mantel like this costs $160 per linear foot (LF) + $200 for the inlay. These can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states via FedEx Gnd for $175. We package like crazy and insure the shipments so there are no worries. The price shown is for a 6ft custom walnut mantel with metal inlay.

Contact us and we can work through the exact dimensions and proportions you need.