Denician Angeleia

Chipped bricks, a stained hearth, and years of accumulated soot can turn what should be the focal point of a living room into an eyesore. Replacing a hearth and surround—either with seamless stone slabs or with ceramic or stone tiles—makes a big difference in the way a fireplace looks! I have assisted many clients in turning their old dingy fireplaces into wonderful focal points in their rooms. I too recently painted a very ugly textured brick fireplace and turned a very large gaudy problem into more of an enjoyable component in a room. And all I did was paint it white! Fireplace makeovers can range from a simple paint job to a full resurfacing. As your budget allows, you too can find answers and creative ways to change your fireplace as you read on.

Sometimes it may take just a few days work to rejuvenate a fireplace and reinstall the existing mantel. Installing a tile surround might take a bit longer, but there’s less heavy lifting than with stone. When it gets to become more than a paintbrush and a gallon of paint, I highly recommend consulting a professional.

Whether you want an ornately carved fireplace surround, something simple and colonial in style, a rustic stone or a highly polished natural stone surround, I think the nicest fireplace surround are made from natural wood or stone.

Limestone surrounds are one of a kind. Traditionally, the highly carved surrounds depicting angels, scrolls and all sorts of embellishments were made of limestone. Limestone surrounds are exquisitely beautiful pieces of art that will add elegance to any fireplace setting. For a more stylish and contemporary looking fireplace surround, you may wish to incorporate some polished marble. Polished marble is a beautiful addition to any living or sitting room fireplace with modern or classic décor.

Many people think that natural stone fireplace surrounds are not financially within their reach, but there are many innovations in the stone cutting and fireplace manufacturing industry that have made natural stone fireplace surrounds much more affordable than they had been previously. Today, there are many natural stone companies that offer various pre-cut stone pieces that will fit together to make beautiful natural stone surrounds. By combining pre-cut pieces with some custom stone work, it is possible to spend little more than a regular brick fireplace would cost, and have a beautiful limestone fireplace surround to show for your troubles.

Another advantage to using natural stone veneer pieces is that the overall space from the wall will be less than when carving a surround out of one massive piece of stone. Also, the overall weight will be much lower than that of a solid natural stone fireplace.

Well, I hope that I have filled your minds with ideas on how to change your fireplace. Enjoy the rest of the winter!

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