FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
& ADVANTAGES

1) How much Experience?

Countree Living/Best of Nature has produced handcrafted rustic fireplace mantles and rustic furnishings SINCE 1979! Very few have the expertise and knowledge that comes with our 30+ years of experience! This skill goes into every project, for every single customer.

2) What Personalized Service can we expect?

We may be a little old fashioned but, still believe in personal contact time, discussing all of your ideas. Contact us at 906-822-0112 or email to info@countreeliving.com

3) Which wood species do you use for mantles?

The United States Department of Agriculture favors the Cedars for their durability, which includes resistance to weather and insects.  The history of cedar goes back centuries. Native American Indians used cedar for canoes, totem poles and shelters. They referred to cedar as "trees of life". Other benefits are the composition of the wood-Cedars fine tight grain, makes it known for minimal checking (cracking), its stability, and weight factor (greater ease for installation and shipping than pine). The distinctive beauty of Cedar along with its coloration is prized by many! Other species available are Tamarack, Fir, Hemlock, and Aspen. White pine, Spruce, Oak, Ash, Maple are available. Call to inquire on specific wood species.

4) Our assurance for Quality?

The log and timber mantels we produce are of a quality you will truly appreciate. Finished or unfinished, we take the time to meticulously handcraft every mantel. We painstakingly hand sand your mantel/s so they are SMOOTH TO THE TOUCH! Textured yet smooth, so you can decorate for the holidays and your special events. Enjoy the furniture grade finish WE offer! Compare this Quality to our competitors. We have received national recognition for Award Winning furnishings and, You get this quality! Would you really want anything less?

Our products have been featured in: Log Home Living, Country's Best Log Homes, Log Home Design Ideas, log home guide, Log Homes Illustrated, Early American Life, and a log home planner. In 2008, Early American Life magazine awarded Countree Living/Best of Nature as "One of America's Best in traditional handcrafting of rustic furnishings"

5) Mantle construction?

We exclusively craft SOLID WOOD mantels, not box beam mantles! Our rustic antique timber mantels are also handcrafted on the bottom side. When viewing your mantle, you will see the beauty of the handcrafting continue, like a quality built mantle should.

See the page Antique Fireplace Mantel Designs for more information on How we do what we do when handcrafting wood fireplace mantels.

6) Do you make Custom Mantels?

Every rustic mantel is made to your desired dimensional specifications. This will include custom lengths, depths, heights and the ability to personalize your mantel with our many options. We pay close attention to all details for you. Custom work has been standard since building our first mantel in 1979.

7) What about Corbels?

Corbels are normally a cosmetic addition, not a structurally needed component; due to how these mantels are installed. Contact us if you desire adding corbels. We correspond with you to determine the best locations for placement. If there are existing corbels on your fireplace, we can customize your mantel to accommodate them. See the CORBELS page for more info.

8) How do Best of Nature mantels get installed?

There are many ways to install fireplace mantels. We furnish a very detailed installation/instruction guide with every mantel, based on which type of fireplace (wood frame or concrete) is used. Once your mantel is ordered, we can email or fax them
if you may need prior to the mantel arrival.

9) How long of a mantel should we order?

Your 3 choices are:
1) Hold mantle in equal distances from outer edges of fireplace- Approx. 3-6 inches.
2) Keep the mantel length flush with the outer edges of fireplace/stonework.
3) Extend the mantel past the stonework approx. 2-6 inches each side.

See the Fireplace Mantel Designs page for more ideas.

10) What about Finishing?

The mantels are available in a raw unfinished form, or we offer the full finishing services. This consists of a customer selected stain tone, (For your approval on desired colors, we email you approx. 3-5 color samples once mantel is ready for staining). Usually two coats of stain followed by 3-5 coats of clear satin and hand sanded between final coats brings out the beauty of the wood fireplace mantels. Even though hand hewn, this gives a furniture grade finish that is smooth to the touch. Pricing is done based on mantel size and options.

11) Production times?

Our normal lead times can average 1 1/2-3+/- weeks depending on our schedule. We also have log and timber mantels available for immediate shipment.  See our Layaway Plan if your timing is 2-3 months away.  If you have timing issues call us at 906-822-0112 or email info@countreeliving.com.

12) Is your business "Green"?

We have been environmentally conscious since our beginning 30+ years ago. We never harvest live trees. Reclaiming wood timbers from old buildings, (hand built in the mid 1700 to early 1900 time frame) is another way we strive to be environmentally friendly, and helping to preserve our forests. Our work includes assisting the Nature Conservancy programs, Sierra Club, and many other nature oriented campaigns.

13) How far do you ship? How do we place an order?

We ship all over the U.S. and internationally. Once you have a desired style (log or timber), size ideas (mainly length), call 906-822-0112, or email to info@countreeliving.com with your contact information and phone #. If there is a photograph on our website that coincides with your thoughts and ideas, let us know the photo/name for our reference. Our experienced staff is ready to assist you with your ideas and design needs promptly and professionally.

14) Why should we buy from you instead of another?

A) We have been producing rustic furnishings since 1979 - for over 30 years! Very few can equal the knowledge and skills that come with this experience.

B) Choices! Many styles of rustic mantels are available for you to select from. Find wood mantles elegantly rustic or extremely rustic. And in any size, length, texture, plus options you desire. Color tones are also your choice!

C) Compare! Our mantels are larger than many others in the mantel industry. Imagine having a sizeable mantel shelf to decorate! Our antique timber mantels average 6-6 ½ inches tall and 8-9 inches deep (not 2, 3 or 4 inches but we have made) and, we have larger or smaller stock.

D) Value - By studying our website, you will be able to identify a quality product and make your best educated buying decision. Compare Us-Ask for help in determining product differences. Our commitment in providing every single customer a quality product is one of the highest standards in the industry.

We strive for 110% satisfaction! And we have hundreds of testimonials to verify this.

See Testimonials

We are a leader in the rustic wood mantel handcrafting industry, furnishing high quality rustic wood fireplace mantels.  If you have further questions, contact us anytime at 906-822-0112.Thank you for your time visiting with us.
CONTACT US / HOW TO ORDER.

Testimonials:

I truly wanted to thank you for all your assistance with the purchase of our rustic timber mantel. We will highly recommend Countree living to all our friends as we thought you provided outstanding customer service and your attention to all details was above and beyond what you get from most companies today. We really appreciate you taking the time to send us a photo of the stain colors so we could pick exactly what we wanted. You were extremely accommodating in helping us make decisions and made it a snap to order out of state, when this can easily be a nightmare. In our opinion, this was a perfect buying experience! F. & G. T.-Tampa, FL.

I received the mantle a few days ago and it is much nicer than we ever expected. Everything is perfect with it, and we appreciated the time you spent with us as well as the craftsmanship that was involved in the making. I just wanted to tell you thanks and that we are very pleased. T.W.-Hazlet, N.J.

The timber mantel arrived and we are absolutely thrilled with the end result. Thank you for all of your hard work; it came out better than we could have ever hoped. We love it!

J. & M. B. -Lexington, MA.

The best customer service I’ve ever experienced!! Far better experience and communications than ever expected.

D.P. -Orlando, FL.

100% satisfied with customer service and product. Our rustic mantel is more beautiful than we had hoped and expected. Exceptional attention to details.

C.S.-Cortland, OH. Here are a couple of pictures of our mantel. We would like to thank you

for a beautiful addition to our fireplace. The Mantel is unbelievable and

gives our room the exact feel we were hoped for. Dealing with you and your

Company has been a pleasure and I will refer Countree Living every chance

I get. Again-thank you!

J.S.-Lebanon, KY.

HOW TO PLACE YOUR ORDER

CONTACT US BY CALLING 906-822-0112.

You may wish to email us at info@countreeliving.com

If you have certain specifications, fax your data to our phone number, or scan and email to the email address above. We will contact you to discuss your thoughts and answer questions you may have.