Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Installing Mantel over uneven Stone

We just purchased a new house and the fireplace is rock/stone from the floor to ceiling. The stone is uneven and was painted. We had the paint removed to get the original stone back and now would like to install a mantel and surround. Can this be done with the area that will hold the mantel not being even?

You can do it, but it won't be fast and it won't be easy. What you need to do is build a couple of legs for the mantel the exact height you want it, making sure it will be level. With the mantel in the exact place you want it, take a compass and, allowing the point to trace along the aberrations in the rock, and the pencil to follow it about 1/2" or so on the top of the mantel. Once this design is made, cut the mantel along your lines and sand them down. Placing the mantel in the same spot will produce a tight fitting joint between the mantel and the uneven rock.
Now, after all that, we usually don't try to force the fit. Installing the mantel directly to the rock, even with the gaps in the back, doesn't make a bad looking mantel piece. Just make sure you install it securely!