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January 12, 2016

To Paint or Not To Paint

Alright folks. I’m interrupting the normal decor and food posts because I need your help. Yup, I’m coming to YOU for advice.

I’ve been thinking about painting our mantel. The way it looks now with a clean dark stain is the way it looked when we moved it. We didn’t have the chance to pick any of the finishes when we bought it and while I really do love (almost) everything I’ve been wanting to make a few changes so it fits my style a little more.
Rustic Fall Mantel

I’ve decided to use our fall mantel as my guinea pig picture. While there is nothing wrong with the mantel the way it is now, the stain is really dark and I tend to like a more rustic look. I also want to brighten up this corner because it can get a little dark at times.

So… I decided to play around and mock up a few images with a few different finish options. Don’t judge my editing skills :)

Option 1 would be to keep it the same as above. I haven’t ruled that out yet.

Rustic Fall Mantel_white mantel

So the option two is to paint it white. While it wouldn’t be more rustic necessarily, it would brighten everything up and make it pop a little more.

Rustic Fall Mantel _ Distressed White

Option three is to create a distressed white mantel. It would definitely brighten up the mantel and keep it rustic.

Rustic Fall Mantel_Gray stainAnd the fourth option would be to sand down the mantel and stain it gray (option shown in Sherwin Williams Rustic Gray)

Ok so what are your thoughts?

Mantel Options

  1. Keep the same?
  2. Paint White?
  3. Distressed White?
  4. Gray Stain?

 

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

Filed Under: ALL POSTS, DIY Projects

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Cooper says

    January 12, 2016 at 3:42 am

    I really like the white.

    Reply
  2. maryann says

    January 12, 2016 at 3:46 am

    Gray is my vote. I really like how it makes your accessories pop (blanket, home sweet home pillow, gather sign, etc.) Good luck!

    Reply
  3. lisa j says

    January 12, 2016 at 7:22 am

    Agree on the white. That being said, it compliments the white objects that are on it in this picture to help tie it in, would there always be something white placed on it?

    2nd place is gray- slight pop to stand out, but doesn’t draw attention to it like the white does.

    Reply
  4. Christene Holder says

    January 12, 2016 at 8:00 am

    I really love the gray!!!

    Reply
  5. Cristen says

    January 12, 2016 at 8:34 am

    Leave it. It’s beautiful!!

    Reply
  6. victoria says

    January 12, 2016 at 10:09 am

    Oh I have the same issue except my fireplace is old fashion brick with the rail-road tie type mantle. I’ve debated over and over paint or not to paint…. I like the gray but I also like it the way it is. I think you need to look at your furniture and your décor style to see what color would go best. Maybe you could create a template of the mantle out of brown craft paper and paint it gray or distress it… you know make a faux mantle then wrap it around your current one. Then live with it for a few weeks, see what you like! This way you could also try out each style… then paint/stain etc. That is what I’m currently doing to mine. In the end once you really commit to something remember – if you don’t like it you can always change it !!

    Reply
  7. Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage says

    January 12, 2016 at 10:10 am

    My fave it the gray!

    Reply
  8. Nancy says

    January 12, 2016 at 10:30 am

    My preference is Option 1, with Option 4 a second choice.

    I have an idea – get some fabric in possible color choices and put the cloth over the mantle like a very short tablecloth. That would allow you to live with a possible color choice or two before drastically changing the color of the wood itself.

    Reply
  9. Sophie says

    January 12, 2016 at 11:28 am

    I love the gray one, but I would maybe choose a lighter shade to match the shelf below

    Reply
  10. Linda says

    January 12, 2016 at 12:09 pm

    I think the white is too much of a contrast….the gray is nice and so is the existing one. Try white or gray washing the one on there now. It may just tone it down enought. Good luck….

    Reply
  11. chassity clark says

    January 12, 2016 at 12:47 pm

    ohh I like the gray !(of course) But I think it would look good if you did a lightly distressed gray, like paint gray over the dark and sand just the sides and corners!

    Reply
  12. Bailee says

    January 12, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    I like the gray or leaving it as it is :-)

    Reply
  13. Christine says

    January 12, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    I LUV that gray!!!!! But it looks super as it is too

    Reply
  14. Barbie says

    January 13, 2016 at 7:55 am

    White!

    Reply
  15. Wendy says

    January 13, 2016 at 8:29 am

    I like choice 3. It is contrast but not a big contrast.

    Reply
  16. Kelly says

    January 13, 2016 at 11:05 am

    My fireplace is extremely similar to yours, and I painted my mantel white a few months ago. I love it!! It brightens up the whole area, and really makes all of my accessories pop. I say go with the WHITE! ?

    Reply
  17. Patricia says

    January 13, 2016 at 6:43 pm

    I like the white, it pops…

    Reply
  18. Amber says

    January 13, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    I like all the options, but have you considered just sanding it down, maybe even leaveing a bit of the dark stain. I think raw wood can look awesome and would definitely be rustic! Good luck, can’t wait to see what you do!

    Reply
  19. Patty says

    January 15, 2016 at 11:04 am

    I love the gray for the mantel and how it would totally tie in with the hearth. You have a beautiful corner there to play with!!!

    Reply
  20. Bets says

    January 15, 2016 at 1:02 pm

    Out of the four options, I like the grey best, but I think it would look even better if you could match the wood color of the crate on the hearth. Pretty!

    Reply
    • Taryn says

      January 19, 2016 at 8:29 pm

      That was my next thought! I’m glad you think so too :)

      Reply
  21. Kay says

    January 15, 2016 at 3:25 pm

    Gray, definitely.

    Reply
  22. Liz says

    January 15, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    I also like the gray, but would do a whitewash treatment over it which would soften it a bit.

    Reply
  23. Rebecca says

    January 18, 2016 at 3:42 pm

    I like Option #4. Not too dark, not too white, just right.

    Reply
  24. Alyson B says

    January 21, 2016 at 2:53 am

    Gray looks the most like your palette to me. Distressing is kind of over and the white is too stark.

    Reply
  25. Tami schauf says

    January 28, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    I love the white or as is ? Btw. Where did you get the gather sign. Thank you!

    Reply
  26. Holly says

    July 12, 2017 at 9:52 am

    What type natural wood is the mantel? I’m having a new home built and thinking about using the Sherwin Williams rustic gray stain on our kitchen cabinets they are Birch and then our hardwood flooring that are a light oak. I’m debating because there are not many examples out there of how the rustic gray stain will turn out with these different wood types. Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanks!

    Reply

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Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

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