Natural stone fireplace hearth contractor/supplies?

[gardengirl]

I'd like to give my run-of-the-mill fireplace a new look and am leaning toward natural stone (or something similar). Does anyone here in St. Mary's County (or Southern MD, for that matter), do stone facades on fireplaces? The ideal situation would to find someone who I could just show a picture of what I'd like to have done and let them handle the process of ordering materials and doing the installation.

I know there's also a product called "rock-lite," which looks like real stone, but is perfect for doing facades...not really sure who would be the right person to ask about that. I tried a fireplace store in Fredericksburg when I happened to be there for the weekend, but they weren't able to give me any advice. Has anyone had any good/bad experiences?

 

[desertrat]

I know Lowes sells fake rock facades, maybe they would know who could install it?

 

[gardengirl]

That's an idea...

I've seen the real rocks on the Lowe's garden area, but not the fake rocks. I wonder how hard it would be to do something like that? I've got a 1 foot hearth to do as well, so I'm not sure how much skill (or artistry) you'd need to do something like this.

 

[desertrat]

The fake ones are by the large check-out at the opposite end of the bldg. They have a display set up right by the doors. I'd guess not too hard to install depending on what they're going over. Brick? Probably a thinset mortar like with tile.

 

[gardengirl]

The rock (or fake rock) would just be going up over a plain painted wall. I've never worked with mortar before so I'm not sure how messy it would be. (I'm picturing mortar everywhere!) If I didn't want to do it myself, I wonder if this is something you call a contractor for or would a handyman be a better choice?

 

[marianne]

I've been looking for something similar (although I haven't looked real hard) and haven't quite found it. DH doesn't like the facades he saw at Lowes/Home Depot because they were all plastic and he thought they looked too fake. Maybe they have others there though that we haven't seen. I wanted to ask a construction supervisor at a new home development what they use. They often do such facades and the last one I saw looked really nice. But I haven't gotten around to it yet...

 

[gardengirl]

Marianne, that's a good idea to ask the new home builders! If you find out, I'd be really interested in what they have to say. I'll try to do a little research over the weekend and share what I find out.

 

[Oz]

Isn't there a "Wentworth's Project Center" on Route 235 North, just past Ridgell Oil on the right? Wonder if they would have stuff for that...???

 

[marianne]

The rock (or fake rock) would just be going up over a plain painted wall. I've never worked with mortar before so I'm not sure how messy it would be. (I'm picturing mortar everywhere!) If I didn't want to do it myself, I wonder if this is something you call a contractor for or would a handyman be a better choice?

If I never worked with mortar (which I haven't, come to think of it), I probably would not tackle this job myself. I would ask around for contractor or handyman recommendations & look at similar projects the person has done. If you want to do it yourself, I would probably do an outdoor mortar job first, like an outdoor patio or walkway trim.

If I do find material for a fireplace facade I'll let you know. But DH moved it down on our "home improvement priority list" so we're no longer actively searching.

 

[icebaby1111]

Try R & T Insulation & Fireplaces in Hollywood, Md.

 

[gardengirl]

Try R & T Insulation & Fireplaces in Hollywood, Md.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to give them a call to see if they do any stone work. Have you used them in the past?

 

[gardengirl]

Has anyone worked with a mason contractor in the area? I looked in the phone book, but there are about 20+ listed. Any recommendations would be really helpful!

 

[Oz]

Guy & Guy Masonry in Leonardtown! They do a lot of commercial work.

For smaller jobs, you might try JKA Masonry (Joe Alvey) 301-373-2517

Both will take good care of you.

 

[tikipirate]

Sounds like a fun project to do yourself, but I would definitely read up on it first. Taunton Press has a huge library of books as well as archived articles from 'Fine Homebuilding' magazine.

http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/index.asp

Here's a start:

http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/070342.asp

If you use natural stone beware of weight and floor loading. You may have to beef up the floor framing around the fireplace to support the additional weight. And if the stone is going to be more than a few feet high you may need to tie in to the wall framing with some sort of a lintel.

Although this seems decorative, I would check the building codes since it involves a fireplace.

 

[willie]

Sounds like a fun project to do yourself, but I would definitely read up on it first. Taunton Press has a huge library of books as well as archived articles from 'Fine Homebuilding' magazine.

http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/index.asp

Here's a start:

http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/070342.asp


If you use natural stone beware of weight and floor loading. You may have to beef up the floor framing around the fireplace to support the additional weight. And if the stone is going to be more than a few feet high you may need to tie in to the wall framing with some sort of a lintel.

Although this seems decorative, I would check the building codes since it involves a fireplace.

Good advice. It shouldn't be that big a job and there will be a lot of satisfaction doing it yourself.