Stone Slab Fireplace Surround Designs for Contemporary Homes

Natural Stone Slab Fireplace Surround Materials

Granite, Marble, Limestone, and Soapstone Hearth Materials

For interior designs, architects, and homeowners, it's truly an excellent time for creating your dream fireplace surround in natural stone. Modern computerized fabrication, along with more exotic domestic material coming onto the market, has created the perfect opportunity for unleashing your creative vision.

Today, fabricators can offer custom options for slab thickness and tile size. As a result, designers are creating stunning visual focal points with a stone slab fireplace without having to rely on European or Chinese imported stone species.

View Examples Of Our Natural Stone Slabs

Domestic production from Georgia, Virginia, and the Canadian wild is providing us with stunning material like white American marble, black granites with both flowing veins or crystals, and velvety smooth grey Alberene Soapstone. While the raw material is spectacular, however, it's when fabricators and designers get ahold of it that it becomes a warm and inviting addition to their home.

If you want to make a real statement, a natural stone fireplace surround can provide you with a crisp, modern statement. Here are some ideas and natural stone options available for your fireplace surround.

Granite, It's More Than A Countertop

Granite is a low-maintenance material that is a beautiful, durable workhorse of a stone that looks stunning in the kitchen. The same attributes that make it the most popular choice for kitchen and bathroom countertops make it an excellent choice for your fireplace surround.

Granite is an igneous rock formed by the application of extreme heat and pressure over millennia, and that makes it extremely durable and heat resistant. That means that even the ambient heat that emanates from a fireplace will not cause damage.

Granite is also an easy to clean material, and it resists staining by the soot and grime that may collect from burning natural wood. Because it is also bacteria-resistant, soapy water and a washcloth are all you need to keep it clean.

Granite also comes in a wide range of colors and patterns, with species from different locations offering distinct looks. For example, Magma Gold mined in Brazil makes a stunning statement. The stone looks like melting gold with the fluid motion of fire! If you're looking for a more subtle look, consider Calypso Gold. With stacked layers of red, gold, and cream, it offers a wood-like texture reminiscent of a rustic cabin.

Marble Brings Luxury To Your Stone Slab Fireplace

Marble is and always has been a classic option giving your home a modern, refined look that works in every design style. Applications of marble as fireplace surrounds are the perfect way to showcase the beauty without much risk. Fireplaces are not subject to much traffic, and ambient heat from a fireplace will not damage marble.

Marble is a metamorphic stone that is created when limestone is placed under extreme heat and pressure over a long period. Marble is the perfect choice for use with a gas fireplace as there is no concern about dirt or grime.

If you're looking for white or gray neutrals to build your design around, marble is perfect and will match any décor. Two classic Italian choices are Carrara and Calacatta. Carrara is the more budget-friendly option and features frequent delicate spidery veining giving the stone more silver and gray undertones and offers a more uniform appearance. Calacatta features large, broad veins and flowing movement and is perfect for large applications, like a floor to ceiling statement fireplace surround.

Marble is another natural stone that is available in several colors like Forest Green marble, Red Verona marble, or stunning salmon pink Etowah marble found in Pickens Georgia in the US. For a more classic grey and white American marble, check out Pearl Grey.

Limestone: The Mother Stone of Marble

Marble, travertine, and onyx are all-natural stones that are evolved from limestone. Limestone has been the classic choice throughout history, and today, it's the perfect choice for modern homes seeking old-world charm. For a fireplace surround, limestone is durable, looks fantastic, and is affordable, making it appealing to homeowners on a budget.

Limestone is a very versatile material that can work in a wide range of designs, themes, and styles. It's warm, and its soft aesthetic is perfect for creating a homey, inviting look. Limestone is a porous stone that is less likely to be exposed to liquids as a fireplace surround.

Are you looking for a neutral look that will fit in and not overshadow your decor? Consider Persiano. It offers a soft pink-beige tone in a honed finish. Honed stone is softer to the touch that polished stone and some homeowners love the unique warmth a honed finish offers. Were you looking for a more dramatic look? Rainbow Sandstone is rippling yellow and blues adding movement and interest to any space. The broad veining is perfect for use in an extensive application like a stone slab fireplace design.

If you're looking for a truly unique and subtle option, check out Fossil Maroon/Brown. Flecks of white shell-like imperfections give this stone an almost prehistoric look. If you're looking to bring the most exciting elements of nature indoors, this is a fabulous choice.

Soapstone A Classic American Material

Soapstone has been a popular natural material that's been used in homes for hundreds of years. From old soapstone sinks to soapstone fireboxes and surrounds, it's a popular, durable material that is elegant, and practically maintenance-free.

Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that is sourced from around the world. It is composed of talc, a soft mineral that is mostly magnesium silicate. This gives it its silky, soft feel, similar to a dry bar of soap, hence the name. Lower talc stone is referred to as an architectural grade and is gorgeous, durable, anti-bacterial, and fire-resistant, making it perfect for a fireplace surround.

Soapstone is very popular for fireplace surrounds, mantles, and hearths, in some areas of Northern Europe. Soapstone fireplace systems are designed to heat the entire house because they naturally absorb and radiate heat. Softer soapstone can even be carved, adding a sculptural element to your fireplace surround.

Natural stone offers designers and homeowners looking to make a statement the perfect material to create a fireplace surround that will make your design truly outstanding. Today, new manufacturing and fabrication techniques offer homeowners affordable large scale natural stone slabs that are the perfect option for fireplace surrounds.

Whether you're looking for the classic look of marble, or a modern look with polished solid black granite, adding a stone slab fireplace surround is the perfect way to make a statement with your design and express your unique style.

If you live in the greater Boston MetroWest/ Worcester area, and you'd like to learn about all of your options for designing a stunning stone slab fireplace, give the experts at Stonelink Marble & Granite a call at (508) 393-0720. Let us show you the many exciting benefits of this stunning popular natural material!