Hi all,
I would like to pur in a box beam mantle (old bard beam, roughsawn, or hand planed) similar to this
to this stone front fireplace.
My questions are:
1) how should I attach the boxbeam to the stone? I was thinking to attach a 2x4 nailer to the stone with some sort of concrete anchors, but I don't know if I can safely drill into the stone without cracking it. Then the boxbeam would fit over the 2x4 and be secured to it.
2) As the stone is quite irregular, I am thinking that I should scribe the top and bottom of the boxbeam to the stone and then cut it with a jigsaw to fit. Would you mortar the joint to match the stonework?
3) are there any safety regulations such as how far from the opening it should go? I am planning on putting in a woodburning stove insert in at some future point.
4) has anyone done something similar? Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks,
John