ABOUT STONE FIREPLACES

There are two main types of stone fireplace: natural stone fireplaces and cast stone fireplaces.

Natural stone fireplaces are hand carved, and may be made from sandstone, limestone, travertine, or marble. They are normally based on traditional European designs, but contemporary designs are also available.

Cast stone fireplaces are made from a cast aggregate material, normally including marble or stone chips, which is cast in a flexible mold. Well made cast stone fireplaces can create an effect which is almost indistinguishable from natural stone. Cast stone may also be used as a thin veneer, creating a stone look without the weight of all-stone construction.

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LEADING USA STONE FIREPLACE MANUFACTURERS

The following leading stone fireplace manufacturers have comprehensive websites, with information on all aspects of stone fireplaces, including online catalogs, colors and materials for stone fireplaces, and care and maintenance of stone fireplaces.

Carved Stone International: Stone Fireplaces. Carved Stone International, based in Carlsbad, California, is a leading manufacturer of carved natural stone fireplaces. Its product range includes stone fireplace mantels, fountains, benches, planters, pots, bird baths, pedestals, columns, architectural moldings, balustrades, bas-relief panels, friezes and medallions, corbels, moldings, jalies panels, finials, and statues. The product range of carved natural stone fireplaces includes 25 standard designs. These may be in travertine, sandstone, limestone, or marble.

DMS Studios: Stone Fireplaces. DMS Studios, based in Long Island City, New York, produces high quality hand-carved stone sculptures and stone fireplaces. Its stone fireplace mantels are hand-carved from solid blocks of fine natural stone, marble, and limestone. Stone fireplaces are treated by DMS Studios as individual custom projects, with the stone or marbled often being specially imported from Europe for a particular project. Authentic styles include Classical, Victorian, and Arts & Crafts. DMS Studios can re-create original fireplaces using old photographs and drawings.

Francois & Co: Stone Fireplaces. Francois & Co, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a leading manufacturer of natural and cast stone fireplaces. The company manufacturers a wide range of hand-carved limestone fireplaces and mantles, based on authentic historical European designs. The designs are also available in Scagliola cast stone. Scagliola is a technique which has been in use in Italy since the 17th Century. It uses an aggregate of marble chips, stabilizing agents and pigments to produce a material indistinguishable from original stone. Francois & Co also supplies fireplaces in copper and pewter.

Owens Corning: Cultured Stone Fireplaces. Owens Corning is a leading supplier of cultured stone. This is a manufactured stone veneer, which is designed to imitate natural stone. It is cast in a flexible mold, using lightweight aggregate materials hand colored with iron oxide pigments. It weighs about 25% as much as full-thickness stone. Cultured stone may be used for fireplaces and chimneys. The Owens Corning cultured stone website contains sections on Finding a Dealer and Finding an Installer. It also has Literature and Technical Information sections about cultured stone.

USEFUL LINKS RELEVANT TO STONE FIREPLACES

National Fireplace Institute

CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT DIRECTORIES

We recommend the following professional construction directories, which include standard specifications, manufacturers' specs, and CAD details: 4Specs at www.4specs.com, Arcat at www.arcat.com, Arcom at www.arcomnet.com, Reed at www.reedfirstsource.com, Sweets at www.sweets.construction.com.

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