Inexpensive Carved Fireplace Mantel Surrounds
Relaxing in front of a fireplace during a frigid night is a simply a rapturous experience. The roaring heat drives the cold air from the room while one partakes in the divine light. Though fireplaces are meant to be practical, they should have aesthetic value as well. This rings true in the South, where winters are quite short, as well as in the North during their lengthy blustery winters. State of the art fireplaces exhibit alluring mantel shelves and surrounds and have become as much about achieving artistic designs as a source of warmth. Wooden mantel shelves and surrounds have been the preferred decision for hundreds of years and have continued to gain preeminence among homeowners. As a result, cabinet manufacturers and millworks companies now specialize in fashioning unique surrounds and shelves for their customers. Every comstomer’s design and size requirement can be achieved through this resource. In the past, cabinet builders and millworks companies were unable to construct hand carved mantels. It was also impossible for homeowners to locate a competent artisan to shape such an exotic piece. If found the cost would have been excessive. Engineers have designed machinery that can carve wood (as well as other materials). The majority of current manufacturing procedures lie in CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) methodology - essentially a router robot that cuts wood following computer generated three-dimensional drawings. As elaborate as these processes are, hand carved examples can never be perfectly copied. The subtle nuances and imperfections of a skilled artisan are not possible in today’s impersonal mass-production based assembly. Seasoned artisans have the expertise to chisel undercuts and minute details and shapes not possible with the steel tooling utilized in CNC machines. The inconsistency between the two techniques - CNC and hand carving - are evident even to the casual bystander. The good news is that there are seasoned artisans out of country that continue to employ their incredible ability and make their pieces of art available to the US marketplace at reasonable costs. Although these are not custom made for each and every requirement, they are created to fit the majority of fireplaces. If a fireplace needs additional height, hand carved mantel extensions can be added to raise the height of the mantel surround. This is no problem for a mantel shelf since it rests above the fireplace. Mantel shelves will accommodate most fireplace openings and can be adopted further with hand carved corbels and other carved trappings. So if you are seeking a genuine hand-carved mantel surrounds or mantel shelves, they can still be had for an resonable price through distributors here in the US.
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