So here we are with the original honey oak fireplace mantel and bookcases. After 20 years, it was time for a change. We had scheduled a professional painter for the wood, but first, I wanted to embellish the fireplace with something extravagant.

We started by removing the existing crown molding. I wanted to add crown molding with more detail. As usual, that required a trip to a home improvement store to select crown molding. I selected three different styles.

Next I ordered a corbel. I found this one at ArchitecturalDepot.com. They have a large selection of corbels, and are a great source for any type of crown molding. This piece is large, but I always wanted a big corbel. The only problem here, was that the corbel jutted out further than the mantel shelf above. I decided the best idea would be to build two rectangular wooden boxes to attach on either side of the mantel shelf. I glued them above the corbels with construction adhesive. Use construction adhesive on larger pieces anywhere wood has previously been painted or finished. 

I embellished the existing crown molding with new pieces. You can see the new, lighter colored molding. I nailed in the molding and also used wood glue. I filled in the nail holes with liquid nails. I then used caulk to hid the seams. Now everything was ready for the painters!