STONE FIREPLACE DESIGNS DIRECTORY Top Manufactured Stone Fireplaces!
Manufactured stone fireplaces have come a long way in recent years. Though man-made
cast stone
mantels with smooth finishes have been produced for centuries and perfected to the point where they are barely
discernable from their finely finished
nat- ural stone
counterparts, the more rugged, roughly textured stone fireplace surrounds have not been so lucky.
Fortunately, manufacturers of roughly textured stone found a way to significantly improve their product since the 1960s and 1970s, when artificial stone
looked every bit as fake as it truly was. Today's man- made stone products are a far cry from their prede- cessors. Many are so realistic in appearance that only the trained eye of a skilled stone mason can tell the difference!
Manufactured stone is made by blending lightweight concrete with colored iron oxide pigments. To give it a realistic look, the mixture is poured into molds made from natural stones and then vibrated to integrate surface col- oration and texture. After the mix sets, the stone is removed from the mold and cured.
One of the major benefits of man-made stone is that it is significantly lower in cost than natural stone. In addition, due to its much lighter weight -- approximately two-thirds the weight of natural stone veneer and about one- quarter the weight of full-block natural stone -- it doesn't require a founda- tion or footings for support. The substantial cost savings, in conjunction with its very realistic look, has made it a viable alternative to natural stone for fireplace surrounds.
