Decorative facing of fireplaces: materials and style directions

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Fireplace Decoration

Recently, not only in country houses, but also in apartments, fireplaces have become very popular. Therefore, decorative mantel for a fireplace is as important as decorating the entire room.
Here, attention is paid not only to the installation of the structure, but also to safety, therefore, it is necessary to carefully choose the finishing material. It must have excellent resistance to fire and excellent external aesthetics.

Cladding of a decorative fireplace with natural stone for different styles

Today, there are many materials for decorating a fireplace. One of them is fireplace mantel decorative stone of natural origin.
The price of the material is high, but still, many users choose just this way of decoration.
Advantages of natural stone:

• Thanks to the color scheme, the stones harmoniously fit into any design decision.
• Since the external decoration of the fireplace in most cases plays a decisive role, in addition to the external attractiveness, the practicality of the material must be taken into account.

Note. Lining decorative fireplaces using natural stone will elegantly complement the classic interior, country style and Provence.

Fireplace lining styles, features:

• Classics provides smooth geometric shapes. Classic style is best for open hearth fireplaces.
• Country will most likely emphasize a person’s love for nature. Therefore, facing decorative fireplaces in addition to natural stone involves the use of aged wooden elements.
• Art Nouveau style implies more severe cold forms. In addition to natural stone, glass or sheet metal are added to the fireplace.
• Hi-tech style also uses natural tiled stone, glass and metal, see photo.

Tip. If a hi-tech style is used in the design of fireplaces, it is recommended to use as few details as possible in the outer lining.

High-tech fireplace

What natural stone is used for decorating fireplaces

Decorative cladding, fireplaces provide for the use of any stone.
But most often used:

• Marble.
• Granite.
• Onyx.
• Coil.
• Sandstone.
• Limestone.

Attention! Despite the fact that granite has great resistance to temperature extremes, it is not recommended to be used for internal cladding. Over time, it begins to crack.

Let's consider in more detail natural material for fireplaces:

• Marble is the most suitable material from natural stones, which is suitable for decoration of portals. It perfectly adapts to temperature changes and is used for internal and external fireplace trim.
• Thanks to modern technology, any details and shapes of any complexity can be cut out of marble without loss of quality. At the finish, perfectly smooth edges are obtained, without visual damage.
• Natural stones of sandy rocks that undergo long rough processing are also widely used. Cladding for a decorative fireplace with the help of this material resembles the design of ancient buildings in the East.

Tip.In the decoration of fireplaces, you can use a combination of several types of stone, which will create real masterpieces and an eternal design.

How to choose the right stone for decorating fireplaces

How to choose quality material

The best advice when choosing natural stone for decorating fireplaces, this is a professional consultation of specialists.
If you make a fireplace with your own hands, then you need to consider some details when choosing:

• The integrity of the material is important, especially when it comes to marble and granite, it can be broken during processing.
• When buying marble, it is recommended to carefully examine it in good light to avoid microcracks and chips.
• In addition to visual inspection, the material must be evaluated by touch and the uniformity of the surface of the material determined.

Note. If you do not detect a defect in time, then the material will become unusable over time.

Fireplace mantel

Photo of fireplace decoration with decorative tiles

The popularity of decorative tiles in fireplaces is as popular as decorative stone.
Decorative tile for facing fireplaces and its advantages:

• The material is practical.
• It looks stylish.
• It is used both in modern expensive interiors and in the usual design of fireplaces.
• Long operational period.
• Simple installation, special instructions will help to carry out quick installation.

Types of facing tiles for fireplaces:

• Porcelain cladding is often used for decoration and in its technical characteristics resembles a natural stone.
• Glitter and luster is different majolica.
• Durable and practical material is clinker tile.
• Without a glaze coating, majolica-like is terracotta.

Note. Each of the materials has its own characteristics. The choice of material directly depends on the interior and the design itself.

Surface preparation for mounting decorative tiles

Mounting decorative stone on the surface is carried out on a reinforcing mesh. For tile installation, installation technology changes slightly.
Consider the stages of work in more detail:

• The grid is attached first.
• Then the surface is carefully leveled.
• For alignment, the same adhesive composition will be used that will be used to install the tiles.
• The grid is attached to the surface of the fireplace with nails that are pre-driven into the seams.

Note. Installation of decorative tiles is already on a flat and dried surface.

Stages of the installation of decorative tiles

Tile installation

Before starting installation work, it is necessary to select nails in the upper part of the structure and make two plumb lines using ropes and weights.
Stages of the work:

• Thanks to the plumb bob, you can monitor the vertical stacking.
• Installation of the material is carried out from below, glue is applied with a notched trowel.
• The adhesive should be applied with the expectation of installing several tiles.
• The tile is pressed to the surface with your hands and leveled, then taped with a rubber mallet.
• During installation, crosses are installed between the decorative tiles in all directions, which will help maintain uniform seams.
• In order for the plates to lie in the same plane, a special flat rail is used.

Tip. If it is found that some element is not glued evenly, it is recommended that it be immediately re-glued until the glue hardens.

A day later, after the tile is installed, grouting is performed:

• On sale there is a mineral grout of different colors, so there is an opportunity to pick up tiles to match the tone.
• The mixture is applied with a soft rubber spatula, after which it is leveled with a damp sponge, without strong pressure.

Residual material is removed with a clean rag after about 20-30 minutes. The very next day you can use the design. As an example, it is recommended to watch the training video on the page of our site.