dadiOH wrote:
: giga wrote:

: no support from the floor. It weighs about 25 lbs or so.

: Sure. You could hang it from just the drywall too.

The weight of the mantle is not what you worry about. You need to
estimate the load of a 300 lb 6'6" guy leaning on it with his
fore-arms. Or maybe two such guys. Or, worst case, someone standing
on it to put the star on the top of the Christmas tree. If it looks
big and solid and it's attached to the wall, people will assume that
it can take load like a step-stool.

True story: A guy was making some pull-down stairs for a hay-loft, and
asked my father to check the design. My father recommended beefing up
a cross bar, and the guy asked why, since it didn't have any load on
it. My father explained that sooner or later some guy was going to
use it as a chin-up bar.

The day after it was installed, the guy was showing it to his
neighbor, a big football player type. As soon as he saw the bar he
jumped up and chinned himself on it.

--- Chip