Which one to choose artificial or natural? Tips + Videos

A home fireplace in itself is a wonderful addition to your home interior. Of course, in modern apartments of multi-storey buildings there is no way to install a real fireplace on wood, but it is quite possible to replace it with an electric one.

Happy country house owners are in a better position. The design of private houses makes it possible to install both a wood-burning fireplace and a gas one with an imitation of a fire from firewood. In order to best fit it into the interior of the house, in order to harmonize with the style of the room in which it is located, you can decorate the fireplace with a stone.

For this purpose, both natural and artificial materials are used. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Entrust the facing of the fireplace with decorative stone to professionals in their field, this guarantees a high-quality result and safety for the residents of the house.

How to decorate a fireplace

Decorating a fireplace with natural stone

For decorating a fireplace with natural stone, the following types are most often used: marble , granite, shell rock, sandstone, soapstone, granite ceramics. Each of them has its own characteristics of operation, texture, natural pattern.

If you are not limited in funds and want to add style, nobility and elegance to your home, pay attention to this option for decorating fireplaces.

Marble for facing the fireplace

This noble natural stone is considered the most common material for decorating fireplaces. With a wide palette of shades of gray, green, white, pink, black and brown, you should have no difficulty in choosing. The cut pattern depends on the structure of the stone and the way it was cut. Marble can be recognized by its characteristic blotches, stripes and veins.

Various processing methods allow you to get a different texture of the material: aged, smooth, glossy.

Marble goes well with any other materials used in construction. The most profitable option for using stone in decoration is ground marble. Almost all types of this rock are suitable for grinding into crumbs of various fractions, from which mosaics or filler for finishing materials are made. The most popular types of marble are black and white, monochromatic with no inclusions of other shades.

Decorating the fireplace with granite

This is the most durable and reliable type of natural stone. In addition, it is durable and has an attractive appearance. The granite fireplace fits harmoniously into any interior. The texture of the material has a uniform grain and bright patterns that allow you to accurately guess it is granite.

The shade of the stone directly depends on the mining area.

It is due to its durability that granite has been popular for many centuries. History confirms some facts of the use of granite fireplaces in estates and castles, which are more than 100 years old.In addition, it is worth noting that the material is processed without any particular difficulties, allowing various design ideas to come true. The combination of granite with mosaics and various tiles looks quite impressive.

Advantages of marble and granite fireplaces:

• stability to temperature fluctuations;
• environmental friendliness (do not emit toxic substances when heated);
• stunning appearance;
• the ability to combine with clay, metal, glass, wood, other types of natural stones;
• ease of use;
• strength and reliability.

Facing with talcochlorite

This is a modern finishing material that has gained popularity relatively recently. The layered structure guarantees a high level of conductivity and heat retention (accumulates it on the surface). In ancient times, people believed that talcum chlorite can give a person strength and health, because it emits heat that coincides with that of a human. Among the physical properties of the stone, it is worth noting its special density and low thermal expansion. These qualities make it possible to use it for facing fireplaces.

Finishing the fireplace with sandstone

This natural material is very often used for decorating fireplaces, because it has the ability to withstand high temperatures. In addition, it is robust and has a long service life. Its application makes it possible to embody original design ideas.

The advantage of sandstone is that it is easy to handle and cut. Also, the material has a wide selection of shades, which allows you to create unique paintings.

Sandstone combines environmental friendliness, decorativeness, practicality, as well as affordable cost.

Granite ceramics

This is a decorative stone for facing the fireplace, which is made from natural clay. The appearance of the finished product resembles the structure and color of marble or granite. The main difference from ceramic tiles is the base for production. For the manufacture of granite ceramics, clay is used, which has increased strength.

It is this component that ensures the reliability and strength of the material, non-susceptibility to mechanical stress, resistance to high temperatures. During long-term operation, granite ceramics does not lose its original appearance, retaining its luster and color.

Shell rock fireplace

This is a unique natural material that helps to create a unique decoration of the fireplace with decorative stone. The porous structure of the stone provides a high level of thermal insulation, resistance to temperature fluctuations. The shell rock contains the remains of sea shells and molluscs, fossilized many years ago.

In order to create the desired shape from a stone, it must be polished.

Shell rock is hygroscopic and easy to process. The stone has an airy porous structure, due to which it absorbs moisture and then releases it to the surface.In addition, it is these pores that give the shell rock its special strength. Among the decorative features of the structure of the material, it is worth noting the originality of the patterns.

For facing fireplaces with natural stone, white and yellow shades of shell rock are most often used, which have additional shades. The material allows you to cut various details from it to decorate the subject of decoration.

Helpful Hints

Note. Decorating fireplaces with natural stone is suitable for those who are satisfied with the low heat capacity of the material surface.

When choosing a finishing material, note that:

• natural stone for facing the fireplace reduces the efficiency of the fireplace, since it absorbs heat;
• granite is suitable for finishing the fireplace in the event that the main goal is not to achieve heat transfer, but to have a living flame;
• finishing with natural material does not have a so-called shelf life;
• it is not always possible to use natural stone for decoration, sometimes it is easier to use modern high-tech materials with high heat transfer.

Advantages of natural stone for facing fireplaces:

• Uniqueness of texture, pattern and shades;
• Powerful positive energy;
• Resistance to temperature fluctuations and high levels of humidity;
• Can be used on any surface;
• Durability;
• Durability and reliability;
• Environmentally friendly ;
• Attractive appearance;

Disadvantages of natural stone:

• Marble tarnishing and formation of a mesh of cracks on the surface through a certain operating time;
• High cost associated with mining methods;
• Radiation of natural radioactive background by granite;
• Abrasion of sandstone;
• Shell rock accumulates soot, dirt and dust ...

If you look at these shortcomings from the other side, then they do not have much significance compared to the advantages of natural materials and their beauty.

Types of designs for home fireplaces

• Corner ones are suitable for installation in small rooms, take up little space;
• Wall-mounted the options are placed in the center of the room, have a rather overall design, and are more suitable for large rooms.

• The islands have low sides and an internal firebox, above which an exhaust hood is mounted to remove smoke;
• Built-in ones have a chimney and masonry walls, which in turn requires the use of a large amount of material.

Facing the fireplace with artificial stone

Modern technologies make it possible to create facing materials that are in no way inferior in performance to natural ones, and in some cases even surpass them. If you want to decorate the fireplace with stone, but do not have enough funds for natural material, turn your attention to imitation.Convenience and ease of use make it possible to bring bold ideas to life.

Advantages of artificial stone for facing the fireplace:

• Ease of processing, the ability to create any shape and size of elements;
• Light weight ;
• Possibility of combining with other materials (ceramics, metal, glass);
• Creation of imitation of finishing with natural stone.

• Maintaining the quality of the finish;
• Aesthetic appearance.

Results

For residents of the city who live in high-rise apartments, who want to have a hearth in the living room in the form of a fireplace, there is a great alternative - false facing artificial stone fireplaces. These are simple structures that do not require complex installation, arrangement of a chimney, construction of heat-resistant walls. Special heating elements act as imitation of firewood. The biofireplace can be installed near a heating radiator, which eliminates the need to supply an additional heat source.