Kettle Moraine Hardwoods Rodney Rustic Fireplace Mantel Shelf

Comments about Rodney Mantel Shelf:

This mantel is exactly what I was looking for - a beautiful natural bark-faced shelf at a reasonable price. However, the choice of basswood makes this a difficult piece to finish. the wood is quite soft and very porous, so staining isn't recommended. The wood is very pale, almost white, with very little detail and is quite soft. I opted for finishing it with amber shellac, which gives it an old-fashioned look. Waxed shellac can't be covered with polyurethane, so I had to put several coats of clear dewaxed shellac on before top coating - quite a bit of work. The product was reasonably well sanded, but I needed to sand it several times to get the proper smoothness. There also was a fair sized crack in the end grain from drying - not a concern for me, but perhaps a deal breaker for others.

In the end I'm happy with the purchase, but it definitely wasn't without research and work to get completed. Based on the softness of the wood, this is something nice to look at but won't handle a lot of wear and tear.