| Looking to boost the beauty and value of your home | | | | stone veneers are held securely in place by a metal |
| with a stone fireplace? Think about it: stone is as | | | | lath attached to the wood surface, then by a thin |
| sturdy and as classic as the best investments come. | | | | application of mortar |
| If you are mulling over the stone to use in your new | | | | As we have stated, the cost of applying thin faux |
| construction project, check which do you think will fit | | | | stone veneers is much lower than real stone given |
| into the style, weather and feel of your home; it's | | | | the weight and shape differences. Real stone requires |
| either going to be in natural stone or cultured stone. | | | | laborious craftsmanship, as is normal for every natural |
| Natural stone is the investment per excellence; it is | | | | limestone work. It is so much so that the total value |
| pricier, weightier, and a testier work of art to handle | | | | will warrant the master worker's signature to be |
| compared to cultured stone. Your options for this | | | | affixed somewhere on the finished stonework. |
| category tend to be limited, too. Granite, Marble, and | | | | Another thing about natural limestone fireplaces, in |
| Limestone are the typical options. | | | | particular, is that the costs for each work will always |
| Cultured stone products can however be designed to | | | | be according to your own skilled taste and |
| "match" the stone surface type you are going after, | | | | preferences. |
| are typically more striking and durable than real stone | | | | An important reason for getting faux stone for your |
| products for fireplace projects. Imagine also the | | | | home is that its availability in regular shapes and sizes |
| pleasant bonus of lesser costs. The look of cultured | | | | means you can achieve a variety of stone fireplace |
| stone is composed of stone aggregates, dyes and | | | | designs. As a matter of fact, part of the process |
| lightweight cement. It is said that most sellers of | | | | when selecting cultured stone is designing the |
| cultured stones offer a half-a-century guarantee | | | | fireplace. |
| against wear and tear. | | | | Nevertheless, a reason for thinking twice about faux |
| With respect to natural stone, let's take a closer look | | | | stone veneers is that it can take in moisture; |
| at a perfect representative: natural limestone. A | | | | furthermore, when it is chipped, when chipped, the |
| sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate, the | | | | surface has a mark that is glaring. Consequently they |
| appearance and quality of the limestone is influenced | | | | be demanding in terms of care and maintenance. |
| by factors such as the quantity of calcium carbonate | | | | Watch out also, and be careful about falling on to |
| in the limestone and the amount of fossil contained in | | | | recurring and redundant patterns in your design which |
| the final product of natural limestone. | | | | ought to look natural. |
| Now, zero-clearance fireplaces are more affordable | | | | Thus, quo vadis, faux stone or natural traditional |
| to construct compared to classic masonry block built | | | | stone? A lot will actually depend on how you and |
| fireplaces. With zero-clearance fireplaces, the iron | | | | your master craftsman work together to achieve |
| fireplace frame is boarded up with plywood. The | | | | the result. Faux stone veneers look and feel like real |
| relatively light weight of cultured stone allows | | | | stone, and enables stunning stone fireplaces to be |
| veneers to be placed on these wood surfaces. The | | | | built at a fraction of the cost of traditional stone. |