Years ago, fireplaces were much more practical in comparison with decorative. Perhaps the fireplace was used to heat the home, supply light during the evening hours, or perhaps used to cook food. Typically, these types of fireplaces were placed close to a wall in addition to surrounded with brick.

These days, fireplaces are generally used far more for decoration than for practical reasons. In fact, many homes which possess a functioning fireplace don't even burn up wood. Modern day homes have fireplaces which have already been fitted along with gas logs in order to burn quietly and cleanly.

Removing the brick that surrounds the fireplace may be an expensive in addition to time consuming process. These days, it is possible to retrofit the fireplace with pre-manufactured surround pieces. This makes the procedure much faster and is more affordable.

Contemporary Fireplace Surrounds

Marble along with granite are generally the two most popular choices for modern fireplace surrounds. Because of this, there are a variety of kinds of designs out there. You may desire to buy a surround along with Roman flair, or maybe you desire a unit which has French Provincial overtones.

Take into account that the more elaborate the surround, the greater the price. Even though pre-fabricated surrounds are generally cheaper than some other options, a surround piece may still cost thousands of dollars depending upon exactly how ornate the decorations happen to be.

Surrounds work best along with fireplaces which have already been framed within a wall. Fireplaces that sit on the floor rather than on a hearth will additionally work well using a surround.

Various other Options

If you have a traditionally built fireplace, or if perhaps your fireplace will be situated on a hearth, you may need to make use of a hand laid stone design. Even though this is more work, you'll have a huge variety of choices and could tailor your design and style to accentuate your fireplace.

Stones may end up being set within a pattern as well as using stones which all look the same. You may even want to place decorative stones in the pattern. When you have a wooden mantel or hearth, you will love the look of stone and wood together.

Some homeowners prefer to make use of granite when making a fireplace surround. Others enjoy the appearance of smooth, rounded stones. Rough stones aren't used as much today as they were in the past. Having said that, utilizing rough stone to finish the surround of a cabin fireplace might appear extremely appealing.

You Can Produce A Unique Appearance

If you want to create a look that's entirely unique to you, you might wish to fully understand the process just before you start. Pick the color and style of the surround just before you start and make certain that you firmly like exactly what you have selected. Absolutely nothing is worse compared to going back to re-do what has recently been done.

Speak with a contractor or even designer before beginning the procedure to make sure that your thoughts are actually feasible. A good contractor or designer may think of things that you haven't even considered. As an example, how the light may play on a particular area of the fireplace, or in the event that you want to surround the entire wall near the fireplace with a comparable material.

Most of the time, designers and also contractors have portfolios of their work. Ask to view the portfolio before virtually any work will be carried out. This way, you can get a practical concept of exactly how your surround will certainly look once it's finished.