Stone Fireplace Designs

Why Choose A Stone Fireplace?

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Read These and then Choose the Right Design

Few questions need to be answered and points clarified before deciding the right stone fireplace designs:

What will you use: natural stone, cultured stone, cast one? Answering this question will help you determine the cost of materials.

Natural stone looks beautiful but it's not a very cheap choice. If you decide to get it carved ( for a Victorian, a Louis style French or baroque style), you will pay more.So the more carving and customization, the more expensive it will be.
Some of the most used stones are marble, limestone, slate, granite, travertine, sandstone and river rock.

Cast stone is pigmented stone powder mixed with cement. The mix is then poured into special rubber molds. The molding process will make your fireplace look like it was carved without the expense.

Cultured and/or veneer stone are man-made products that look and perform like real stone. While these imitation stones are sprayed with a fire retardant, your local building code requirements should be investigated before investing in this option. If your building code allows this as an alternative choice, you still need to use real stone for the fireplace opening and hearth to avoid any fire hazard. Cultured stones are typically loose and come with molded corner pieces, or they can come in sheets.
Veneer is a stone facade created by laminating the one-sided stones onto a board, making it easier to install.

Some of the advantages of using cultured stone:

• Molds are manufactured from real stone.
• Because of the way they are made, installation is easy to do; labor cost are reduced further more if you're installing them yourself.
• Weight of the whole fireplaceis less than the one made of real stone.
• Colors resemble very well real stones.

What room will the fireplace be placed?

bedroom: will you use the stone fireplace for heating, or just for decor ?

kitchen: will you use the stone fireplace for heating, and/or cooking ?

outside stone fireplace : will you use the stone fireplace for heating, and/ or cooking ?

What size do you have in mind for the fireplace?

Is it massive, e.g. floor to ceiling, or the stonework is just from floor to the mantel ? The weight plays an important role: if you decide for a floor to ceiling fireplace you can used cultured or veneered stone, and less weight than if you would choose natural stone. Plus the instal will be easier to do.
If you want to add a stone fireplace in an old home, consult with specialist to make sure the foundation and structure can support the weight of a floor to ceiling stone fireplace.