When starting into the process for our own fireplace, I thought it would be as simple as walking into the showroom of the fireplace/stone veneer dealer, picking my stone, and scheduling the installation but this seemingly easy task quickly became very frustrating, time-consuming, and stressful. It all could have been prevented if going into the project I had information about the choices I would need to make and a little guidance on how to make them. My goal with this post is to make the process much, much easier for any of you embarking on a similar project.
1. Do you want to use natural or manufactured (also known as “cultured”) stone veneer? The pros of manufactured stone are that it is much less expensive than natural stone and (because it is lighter than natural stone) it is also simpler and less expensive to install. The pro of natural stone is its beauty – there is variation in each and every stone and the end product is gorgeous. If you have a large budget, natural stone is a great choice and may be the way for you to go but I chose manufactured stone veneer to stay within my budget. Considering the amount of money I saved and how close my manufactured stone veneer looks to the “real thing”, I’m still very happy with my decision.
2. What style and color of stone should you choose? There are many different styles of stone to choose from including fieldstone like in {this gorgeous fireplace}, stacked stone like in this beautiful fireplace that you can see more of {here}:
The best way to choose the style and color of stone is to visit a few showrooms that have fireplaces on display with various stone options. Once you’ve narrowed down your selections by taking into consideration the colors and style of your home, ask to borrow some sample boards so that you can see how the stone looks in your home. If the showroom doesn’t have sample boards that they loan out, ask if you can borrow several pieces of stone (get a good variety in size and color) for each of your possible options.
3. Do you want to incorporate any keystones or other stone trim into your fireplace design? The best way to make this decision is to seek inspiration online and in fireplace showrooms. While I chose a basic layout without keystones or other stone trim, you could chose to do a keystone arch surrounding the fireplace opening:
a row of single-height trim stones above the fireplace opening,
one long, single stone above the fireplace opening as was done in {this gorgeous fireplace} designed by Castro Design Studio, or any other design/pattern of trim stone that you can dream up. My advice – keep it simple with either no keystones/trim or a simple design.
4. Do you want to have a mantel and, if so, what type? If you’d like to have a mantel, it is ideally installed in conjunction with the stone veneer so this decision should be made along with the selection of your stone. There are several different materials that can be used to create a mantel, such as stone as in {this fireplace from Country Living}, painted wood as in {this fabulous coach house}, or natural or stained wood. My fireplace obviously has no mantel and I go back and forth about whether that was the best decision or not. I already have so much shelving surrounding it that I didn’t need a mantel for displaying anything and I do like the more streamlined look but it definitely would be nice to have a mantel to decorate for the holidays!
5. How would you like your hearth to be designed? Most of the stone veneer manufacturers carry hearthstones designed to coordinate with your chosen stone veneer. However, beware – the hearthstones that were meant to go with the stone veneer that I chose were ugly and fake looking. The lesson here is to make sure you ask to see the coordinating hearthstones and not just assume that they will look just as good as the stone veneer you chose! If you don’t like what you see, shop around – I was able to find hearthstones that I liked from a different manufacturer: 
Also consider how you want your hearthstones laid – you can lay them the typical way like I did or choose to have them broken up with mortar in between the pieces:
For those of you embarking on a fireplace remodel project, I hope you found this post to be helpful. Another one you might enjoy is the final step in transforming my fireplace and built-in bookcases – DIY tutorial on lining the back of bookcases with burlap!
Very informative post. You really showed how flexible and varied stone veneer is.
The transformation is amazing! I love love your look! I’m going to think about doing the bookcase thing beside my fireplace, but I need to put the TV in mine. Now I’m all inspired today to get stuck into some decorating! just have to get the kids sports over with…
Thanks so much Carla!!
While it’s important to choose the right stone, the magic happens during the installation. Make sure your installer clearly understands your vision for the project. There are two things in particular you need to discuss with your installer:
1. Size of grout joints. You might want very tight joints, or you might want joints as wide as your thumb. Make sure your installer understands your preference.
2. Vertical stones. Some people do not like the look of vertical stones. If you are one of those people, make sure your installer understands you want your stones laid only vertically.
The best way to communicate your vision to your installer is with pictures. Find one or more pictures you can use to explain your vision to your installer.
Finally, for indoor fireplace makeovers … this is a messy endeavor. Instruct your installer to cut all stones outside of your residence (no cutting allowed inside your house), and make sure your installer lays down sufficient drop cloths over your floor and furnishings before he starts the job.
OOPS . . . understands you want your stones laid only HORIZONTALLY.
Thanks for the great tips Mike!
Love your living room! I’m using it as inspiration for mine. Did you install the veneer yourself or have it done professionally?
I looked into installing the veneer ourselves (and know someone who did it and said it was very doable) but ended up deciding to have it done professionally. It is the focal point of our kitchen/family room and I wanted it to be done right! Good luck with your project!
Where did you get your stone? Which manufacturer? We are starting our fireplace and built-in project this month. Hope it turns out this good!!
Hi Shelley – I looked at tons of stone options and we ended up using StoneCraft Industries’ Pennsylvania Ledgestone, which we’ve been very happy with.
Thanks! We’re still choosing:)
Nicely done! Question: Is your television installed on some type of extending shelf or on a lazy susan? I am considering built-ins for my fireplace but I’m pretty sure the tv would need the ability to turn a bit and so I’m just curious. Thank you.
Yes – our TV sits on a swivel so that we can angle it in any direction. It was a must for us because if you want to watch it from the kitchen, it needs to be at a different angle than if you’re watching it from the sectional in the room. It works great!
Hi Kris – I really love what you did to your fireplace! We have an old 1960’s cream colored brick fireplace and we are thinking of doing the manufactured stone veneer as well. My one concern is the dust/mess. My son and I have asthma and allergies and I just don’t need a bunch of dust, etc. floating around to challenge our health. How was it for you when you had yours done? Did you have a ton of fine mortar dust everywhere or was it done pretty neatly? Thanks so much!
Penny
Hi Penny – The messy part about installing the stone veneer was that they have to hack off pieces of a lot of the stones in order for them to fit (stacking the stones is pretty much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together!). This part did raise a bit of dust. They could probably do it outside but it would take them much longer to hack off a piece, come back in and see if it fits, go back out and hack off a bit more, etc. rather than doing it right at the fireplace. It may be something you want to bring up with the people who bid your job. Other than that part, the rest of it really wasn’t very messy. Good luck!
Kris – Thanks so much for replying back to me! I appreciate it….it really helps me to know what to expect. Blessings to you!
My question is when installing a new hearthstone over the existing brick (in my situation) won’t there be a ledge or drop off from new hearthstone to bottom of fire box? Would I have to build up the fire box by adding concrete or am I missing something? Thanks! Looking forward to this project
In my situation, I replaced a wood burning fireplace with a new gas insert so it wasn’t an issue. I would think that if you were keeping your existing fireplace, you would either have to remove a layer of the hearth before adding new hearthstones or build up the fire box to keep it at the same level but that’s just my guess!
Thank you. I did some further investigating and it seems I would have to take up a layer of brick, currently serving as my hearth…ugh.
Thanks again.
Good luck with your project – it will all be worth it in the end!
Very nice. Fantastic difference !! We, too, are looking at StoneCraft ledge-stone, Wisconsin color. We are having fits trying to find a one-piece sandstone hearthstone. Lots of 20×20 around but a cultured/manufactured hearthstone? Any ideas where we might see, touch, order something?
I looked into lots of options for the hearthstones too because I didn’t like StoneCraft’s hearthstones – they look pretty fake to me (I ended up going with hearthstones from a totally different company). I would look up fireplace dealers in your area – we have one with a large showroom here that has tons of stone fireplaces with various hearth options to view.
Kris, My husband is at our beach house right now and it looking at Stonecraft ledge-stone. I am not there but will go down in a couple of weeks. You didn’t like the StoneCraft, correct?
Actually we used Stonecraft’s Pennsylvania ledgestone for our fireplace so I think StoneCraft is a great choice – we’re very happy with it. What I didn’t like were the coordinating hearthstones – I think they looked very fake. However, that was a few years ago now and they may have something different. Good luck with your project!
We just demo’d our fireplace and are also using StoneCrafts Pennsylvania… Can i ask which brand/color you ended up using for the hearthstone? It looks great! I was just going to order StoneCrafts hearthstone until I saw this. We don’t have a showroom near us and I love how yours turned out 🙂
Hi Lauren,
The hearthstones that we chose were Dutch Quality Stone hearthstones. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the name of the color. It has been several years since we did our fireplace so the StoneCraft hearthstones may be totally different now (possibly better looking). I don’t think the hearthstones are all that expensive (maybe about $25 each?) so it might be worth ordering just one of the StoneCraft Pennsylvania hearthstones to check out before purchasing all of the ones you need. You may decide they work just fine for you!
Hi. Curious in how much you spent for labor? We are doing something similar in our house but aren’t sure if we are getting quoted a good price. Thanks in advance.
I went digging through my house files but unfortunately couldn’t find the info about how much we spent on labor for the fireplace – we did it at the same time as other projects so I can’t remember how much this piece was. Sorry I can’t help!!
Hi Kris–
We are trying to determine an appropriate width on each side of the fireplace box for the ledgestone. Any good tips on how wide is too wide and what is too narrow?
It’s totally personal preference but I personally don’t like the stone to be really wide on either side of the fireplace box. I would have the width of the stone to the side of the fireplace box be no greater than 1/2 the width of the box. Good luck with your project!
Did you demo the origional brick, or did you install the stone over the brick. I love what you did.
The stone was installed over the brick so no demo was needed!
None of the fireplace in the photos meet today building code in US and Canada. If the city inspector comes, he will tell you to fix it, the insurance company will not pay out in case of fire. In the old time , the hearth is on 1 foot from the fireplace but today, it has to be at least 2 feet. Just common sense for your own safety in case of burning coal or wood fire pop out into the wood floor beneath.
That may be the case with new fireplace installations but my understanding is that older fireplaces don’t have to be brought up to the new building codes. The house we bought last year only has a 1 foot hearth and there were no issues with that upon inspection.
I bought an old home last year but haven’t used the fireplace yet until it gets inspected from insurance company. Just for my own fire prevention, I will add another foot of glazed porcelain on the floor. It’s only few hours job but I will feel better.
Many thanks for your website and Pinterest. It has been a great assistance to us as we try to decide just what we are going to face our gas fireplace in our family room condo with. I appreciate your tips.
Weed
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a nice comment. Good luck with your fireplace remodel!
Can you tell me what stone company and style/color the river rock is from – for the picture of the stone fireplace with a chair on either side of the fireplace, and the room has vaulted ceilings.
Thank you so much!
Hi Sue,
Just click on the link under the photo that says “via” and it will take you to the website of the stone manufacturer!
Sorry – first time visitor:) Thanks so much!
You have a stone fireplace shown 4th from the top. It’s a field stone and I would love to know the name and mfg if you know it please? I am struggling with this choice. Thanks so much.
Sorry Lori, unfortunately I don’t have any information about the stone on that fireplace. Wish I could help!
We’re having stacked stone veneer put in next month and want a mantel. How should we plan for that ahead of time? Do we leave a gap and mount the mantel first orintall it over the stone?
Hi Vicki! Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to your question since I decided not to have a mantel on mine. Definitely something I’d ask your stone installers!
What was the cost to do this?? Did you hire a mason to do the job?
Hi Laura – while I would be more than happy to share info of cost, we did this over five years ago and it was lumped in as part of a larger renovation so unfortunately I simply don’t remember. The people who installed the stone veneer were contracted through the company that we bought the stone from. If you contact a stone veneer dealer and give them the size of your fireplace, they should be able to provide you with an estimate for the cost of stone plus installation. Good luck with your project!
Hi Kris,
I love how your fireplace turned out. Our fireplace looks identical to your old version with the white latex paint covering the brick. We plan to re-do ours like yours. How long did this project take?
Thanks Jenny
Hi Jenny – adding the stone veneer over the brick was done in a single day!
Kris, I love what you did and I am amazed at how similar it is to what I am in the middle of. Thanks for sharing. Could you answer a question for me please? I see that your lower cabinets extend part of the way out along the hearth – mine are the same. I see you stoned the front of the hearth to match the upper stone but what did you do on the sides of the hearth that are in front of the cabinets? Did you wrap the stone there? Thanks!
Yes, the sides are wrapped in stone too!