When the holidays are in full swing, the attractive fireplace in the family room or living room typically becomes the December decorating centerpiece. However, a gorgeous stone fireplace will serve as a design focal point year-round and complete a picture-perfect room scene with warmth, upscale yet rustic charm, and inherent natural beauty. You can use Horizon Stone veneer to cover an old fireplace and create a chic, stylish design that your family will gather by all winter long. Here are a few of our tips for how to build and maintain a beautiful stone fireplace:
Finding The Stone Look You Love
With each attractive stone veneer option possessing ample natural shade variation and texture, sometimes it can be challenging to narrow down your favorite choice. We always recommend taking our Stone Finder Quiz to help match the stone veneer that will work best for your space.
Have you considered the color and style of the surrounding area? Where specifically are you building the fireplace in your home? Does your home follow a specific design scheme such as modern, contemporary, or traditional? Answer the questions with your project specifications and The Stone Finder Quiz will help you focus your vision and match the perfect stone with the characteristics of your home.
Define Your Stone Design
After you select your favorite veneer, we recommend enhancing your fireplace design with stone mantel shelves, brackets, and keystones for added beauty and character. Explore fireplace design inspiration online and think about how you can use keystones and stone trim to create subtle or contrasting accent rows within the layout. Our mantel shelves come in two sizes and six colors to complete your fireplace surround. Adding these touches will give your fireplace a personalized feel and adds depth to the finished project.
A Worthy Stone Hearth
The actual floor space of a fireplace is called the hearth and there are many different ways to create a fashionable yet functional layout for this feature. Whether the fireplace hearth is elevated or level with the floor of the room, we offer 8 different coordinating hearthstone shades to design with. You can create a modest, minimal hearth simply to buffer the heat from the fireplace, or you can craft a more prominent design for your room that adds a strong pop of color and texture. Follow your vision and you never know, you may end up creating your new favorite location for family photos!
Maintaining Stone
Other than routine dusting, your stone fireplace will generally not require much upkeep at all. If you do want to give your fireplace a cleaning, simply mix one cup of mild dishwashing or laundry detergent with 3 gallons of hot, clean water. Dip a clean cloth, sponge, or soft brush into the mild soapy water, thoroughly wipe down the stone, and then rinse your stone with a low-pressure hose. Do not use a wire brush to clean or a power washer to rinse. Wipe the stone veneer with a clean cloth or sponge to remove any detergent, let the fireplace dry, and repeat the process if necessary.
When you’re ready to start your fireplace project, order your Horizon Stone product samples from a local distributor to better visualize the end result. You can order samples in both 13.5” and 16” sizes and each sample is $25 each. Once your dazzling stone design is complete, make sure to tag your pics on our Horizon Stone Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages- We look forward to seeing your fantastic fireplace!