Limestone Fireplace

Thinking about a limestone fireplace for your home? Whether you're looking at a smaller fireplace surround for a smaller kitchen or bedroom hearth, or a massive fireplace surround for your great hall, limestone fireplace surrounds add elegance unmatched by modern prefab fireplaces.

Of course a limestone fireplace is going to be more expensive than other prefab fireplaces and even other materials of custom fireplaces, but a limestone fireplace doesn't have to be as expensive as you may be thinking.

With the innovation of pre-engineered limestone pieces combined with an anchor system, it is possible to get the same high quality limestone fireplace for a much more reasonable price. In fact, using these newer limestone technologies and methods, a limestone fireplace can be comparable to stone or brick fireplaces in terms of cost.

If you're open to using limestone and limestone veneer pieces to build your limestone fireplace, you can have the limestone fireplace of your dreams for a fraction of the cost that a traditional limestone fireplace would usually cost.

After the limestone pieces and limestone veneer pieces are all put in place, the joints are filled in with mortar. The limestone veneer pieces are securely anchored to the structural components of a room so that the overall limestone structure is as secure and sturdy as a single piece, traditional limestone carving.

There are several advantages to choosing limestone as a building material, whether for a fireplace or other applications around the house. Limestone adds an elegance that will certainly raise the value of your home. This translates to further enjoyment while you live there, as well as increased profit should you decide to sell your house one day.

There are also several advantages to opting for pre-cut pieces of limestone as mentioned above. For one, the limestone pieces can be altered on site to make any necessary adjustments along the way to completion.

When you incorporate an anchor system and pre-cut limestone pieces this also takes away the need for relief angles and other methods by which limestone carvers take the pressure and weight off the limestone below. With an anchoring system, all of the limestone weight is transferred directly to the structural components of the house.

As opposed to brick or other stone veneers, adding limestone to an existing wall uses considerably less space. A limestone veneer can take up as little as 1 ½ inches compared to the average of 3 ½ inches of brick or other natural stones.

These newer and more affordable methods of installing limestone have been tested for several years now. There have even been several laboratories that have performed chemical analysis of the limestone used in these less expensive anchoring and limestone veneer applications. For more information, I invite you to take a look at the American Limestone Company's website which can be found at http://www.americanlimestone.com .