A customer called in late November to have mantles installed on her stone fireplace before Christmas. She wanted a "really rustic" look so Crane Masonry was able to locate 170 year old chestnut hand-hewn barn beams that had been left out in the weather for a couple years. After measuring the lengths it was decided that a three tiered look would not require any cutting of the beams. The next steps involved cleaning the beams and experimenting with a few different coatings to achieve the rustic look. Finally the beams were mounted to the stone using a "blind" system so they appear to hover in place. The beams were installed on budget just in time for the holidays.