A fireplace wall that changes the room
From a 5-foot surround to a floor-to-ceiling feature wall, our stone goes on over framing or cement board and is sold by the square foot, so you buy the wall you have.
Stone Veneer for Fireplaces
A stone fireplace is the one place in a house where everyone looks at the masonry. It is also the easiest stone project to do well: the wall is inside, flat, out of the weather, and usually under 150 square feet. Our veneer is cast in Lenexa and sold by the square foot, so a surround costs what the surround measures, not what a carton holds.
Which profile for a fireplace
Ledgestone is the most popular fireplace stone by far. Ledge in Snow, Huron or Charcoal gives a tight, linear stack that suits both modern and traditional rooms; Country Ledge gives the same shape with a rougher, more weathered face. Classic is the choice for a room with brick, timber or a traditional mantel: coursed ashlar in mixed sizes that looks like a stone house. For a modern room, 3" Strip Ledge in Snow or Charcoal lays dead straight and reads as a single sculpted plane.
How much stone a fireplace takes
Measure the width and the height of the face you are covering, multiply, subtract the firebox opening, and add 10 percent for cuts. A 6-foot-wide surround to an 8-foot ceiling is about 48 square feet minus the opening; a full wall 12 feet wide and 9 feet high is 108. Our order minimum is 100 square feet of flats per color, which covers most full walls; for a smaller surround, the same color on a hearth, a kitchen backsplash or an entry wall brings the order up to the minimum. If the stone wraps the side of the wall, measure that outside corner top to bottom and order it as corners by the linear foot.
Installing stone on a fireplace
Interior stone goes on like exterior stone: metal lath and a scratch coat over framing, or a cement-board substrate, then each piece set in mortar. Keep the manufacturer's clearance from the firebox for your appliance, use a non-combustible substrate near the opening, and check the hearth extension your code requires. Many homeowners do a fireplace themselves; a mason does one in a day or two. Ben at the plant answers homeowner questions at 913-345-8888.
See it first
Sample boards of every color hang at the plant in Lenexa; the Country Ledge fireplace in Lakewood and the Classic fireplace in Natural with Charcoal on our projects page show two of them installed. Stone is made to order and usually ready in 2 to 4 weeks, picked up at the plant or shipped to you at cost.
Installed
Country Ledge, Lakewood
Floor-to-ceiling fireplace wall
Classic, Natural with Charcoal
Fireplace surround with stone mantel
Tumbled, Snow with Charcoal
Softened edges, full joint
3" Strip Ledge
Straight courses for modern rooms
Questions people ask
Can I put stone veneer over an existing brick fireplace?
Yes, if the brick is sound and clean. Apply a scratch coat directly to the brick, or lath first if the brick is painted, then set the stone. No demolition needed.
Is manufactured stone safe near a firebox?
Manufactured stone veneer is cement-based and does not burn. Keep the substrate non-combustible near the opening and follow your appliance and code clearances; a gas insert and a wood-burning firebox have different rules.
How much does a stone veneer fireplace cost?
Stone is priced per square foot on every product page. A 100-square-foot wall is 100 times that price plus corners if the stone wraps, plus mortar, lath and labor if you hire a mason. There is no dealer markup.
How long does a fireplace take to install?
A mason sets a typical wall in one to two days, plus a day for the scratch coat to cure first. A first-timer should allow a weekend.
Do I need corner pieces?
Only if the stone wraps an outside corner, for example the side of a chimney breast that projects into the room. A flat wall needs flats only.
Talk to a person at the plant
Ben answers homeowner questions, Steve handles commercial projects. Call 913-345-8888, Monday through Friday, or send the wall size and we call you back.