Lexington Hearth Smokehouse Non-Combustible Mantel Shelf

Cast from a single Kentucky barn timber, and certified non-combustible

The Lexington Hearth Smokehouse is a wall-mounted, non-combustible cast mantel shelf, made in a single 80-inch length and finished to look like reclaimed barn timber. It is cast, not carved: Lexington molded it directly from a 10 by 5-inch Kentucky barn timber, so the checks, the splits and the hand-hewn facets where an adze once bit into the wood are one specific beam's, reproduced rather than designed. It is made from Burncrete, their non-combustible casting formulation, and it is certified to ASTM E136, the standard test for how a material behaves in a vertical tube furnace at 750 degrees Celsius.

Non-combustible is what lets a television go above the fireplace

This is the reason to choose a cast mantel over a wood one, and Lexington states it plainly: the non-combustible option "allows for closer placement to heat sources, making it an excellent choice for safely mounting a TV above the fireplace." A wood mantel, including a composite wood veneer one, is combustible and has to sit at whatever clearance your fireplace manufacturer specifies. That clearance is often what pushes a television too high to watch comfortably. The Smokehouse removes that constraint. Your fireplace manual still governs, so read it before you set a height.

One length, 80 inches, and 175 pounds

The Smokehouse is made in a single standard length of 80 inches and a 10-inch depth, and it weighs 175 pounds. That is roughly two pounds per inch, in line with Lexington's other full-depth cast beams, and it is the number that decides your installation. This is not a mantel two people lift casually into place: plan the lift, and fix the bracket into structural framing. The mounting bracket, hardware, a touch-up kit and the manual all ship with it.

Five hand-painted finishes, and no two are identical

Maduro, Pale Honey, Weathered Grey, Eclipse and Roasted Chestnut are the standard colors, applied by hand in a multi-step process over the cast texture. Lexington states that their products are individually hand-cast and hand-painted and will have minor variances in color, weight and final dimensions. Treat that as the nature of the product rather than a defect: it is the same reason the grain does not repeat. We sell a Bluegrass color sample so you can see the finish against your own wall and light before you commit, and what you pay for the sample comes back as credit when you order the mantel.

Best for stone, brick and timber-framed fireplaces where a real beam would be the obvious choice

The Smokehouse is for the room that wants a reclaimed barn beam and cannot have one, whether that is because of clearance, because of a television, or because genuine salvaged timber of that size is hard to source and harder to hang. It suits rustic, farmhouse and lodge interiors, and it works against floor-to-ceiling stone where a slim profile would disappear. At 80 inches it needs a wide fireplace wall to look right. For a smaller wall, or for a room that wants real wood character at a fraction of the weight, the Woodford is the closest equivalent in the wood line.

Before you order: custom sizing, and one open question on outdoor use

Lexington will produce the Smokehouse in custom lengths and in colors outside the standard five on request. If the 80-inch standard does not suit your wall, or you want the finish matched to something in the room, contact us before ordering and we will price it with the manufacturer.

One thing we will not guess at. Lexington has not published an indoor or outdoor rating for the Smokehouse, and while several of their other cast mantels are rated for both, we have asked rather than assumed. If you are planning an outdoor or covered-patio installation, contact us first and we will confirm it with the manufacturer before you order.

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including ceramic fiber and crystalline silica dust, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer. Do not drill, saw, sand, or machine Fiber, Burncrete, or Media products, as this generates these airborne dusts. Avoid inhaling dust; use a dust mask or other safeguards for personal protection. For more information, visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.