The Benefits of Adding a Marble Fireplace to Your Home

Why Designers and Homeowners Consistently Choose Marble for Fireplaces

 

If you step inside some of the most luxurious homes in the country, you will find they all have one thing in common: marble fireplaces. Nothing adds charm and character to your living space like authentic marble fireplace. It will become the focal point of any room, creating the perfect setting for you to entertain guests or relax in style after a long week.

Marble offers unique qualities that you won’t find in other materials. Discover the benefits of creating a custom marble fireplace.

Natural Features

No two pieces of marble are exactly alike. Each cut brings out distinct colors, patterns and hues that can only be found in the natural world. Choose the right aesthetic for your interior, from classic white marble to piping veins. The weight and feel of the surface will elevate any room in the home.

Style and Luxury
Considering the effort that goes into the mining process, marble is easily one of the most sought-after resources on earth. It is often found in palaces, mansions, and classic architecture throughout the ages. Adding a marble fireplace to your home is like bringing a little bit of the earth to your home. If you choose an ornate style with custom engravings, the piece will add a regal quality to the space. You can also choose a more contemporary design with geometric angles and flat surfaces to create a posh environment that will never go out of style.

Durability

A custom fireplace is a valuable investment that needs to be maintained over time. The area around the fire will be exposed to soot, ash, and flying debris. The mantle needs to be easy to clean and able to withstand everyday wear and tear.

Marble is among the most durable materials money can buy, making it the ideal choice for a fireplace. The stone will retain its shape and shine for years on end with regular care. The surface is smooth and firm to the touch, making it easy to clean. Use a soft, clean cloth and a mixture of water and neutral cleaner to gently remove stains. The stone is porous, which means it will need to be sealed every few years to keep pollutants at bay. Without a proper seal, the piece may be vulnerable to scratches.

Return on Investment

Marble may be more expensive than other types of fireplace materials, but that money won’t go to waste. Every dollar you spend crafting and installing your custom fireplace will contribute to the overall market value of your property if you ever choose to sell your home. It’s the kind of feature that will set your home apart from the competition to ensure you benefit from these additions.
There are so many reasons to choose marble when crafting a custom fireplace or mantle for your home. Contact BT Archstone to learn more about the customization and installation process.

/by

From the Pyramids to The Taj Mahal: Why the World’s Ancient Monuments are Made of Stone

For thousands of years, natural stone has been a preferred building material for numerous reasons. It was one of the first construction materials ever used, and its use was never limited to just one geographical area, one culture, or one period of time. It’s the world’s most universal building material.

Ancient people quickly discovered the benefits of building with stone, a material that is still incredibly popular today. This is in part due to its wide variety of applications. From garden pathways and fountains to commercial construction for skyscrapers and everything in between, stone has earned its place as a time-tested, tried and true resource. Here are some of the most popular reasons why:

  1. Stone does more than withstand the test of time. In fact, many people would agree that stone actually looks better with age. It has an impressively long lifespan and as each year goes by, stone retains its natural beauty and sometimes even adds to it with reactions from the environment around it. People from long ago also realized that stone is resistant to pests, it doesn’t rot, and it’s also fireproof.
  2. Stone is a very easy material to care for. It requires very little maintenance or upkeep once it’s installed. You don’t need to finish it or paint it, and it’s also conveniently easy to clean. Even stone that is many decades old or older can be cleaned, restored, and polished to look like new, which are all qualities valued not only today, but during ancient times, as well.
  3. Stone is varied and unique, and it comes in many natural textures, patterns, and colors. It can also be resurfaced so that builders can have an unlimited number of options to match ambiance and style for just about any room or building. In addition, stone can be cut into just about any shape or size.
  4. Due to its high-quality nature, stone has long been connected with traits of prominence, elegance, and power. Once they acquired the knowledge and means to do so, ancient cultures almost always constructed the palaces of royalty from stone while the lower-income population often had homes made of materials far less durable including wood, mud, straw, and cloth.
  5. Ancient people also discovered that stone was readily available and needed no energy for manufacturing stone – only for processing. Stone is also very “green” and contains no chemicals, no substances for construction, and no pollutants.

With so many incredible traits that stone possesses, it’s no wonder why so many people from all over the globe across all periods of time have valued it so much. From durability and resistance to strength, low environmental impact, and everlasting beauty, the desirable qualities stone offers can’t be beat, regardless of whether you’re installing a new kitchen range hood or building the next Taj Mahal.

/by