Stone for Fireplaces

There is now a huge range of natural and artificial stone available for fireplaces from Britain and all around the world, probably running into several hundred types.

One of the most popular and currently most fashionable types of stone to be found in fireplace showrooms today is limestone. There are many different types of limestone for fireplaces, most are an attractive off white to beige colour, with light to medium veins. Some limestone can be almost a plain, off-white, classically beautiful and very striking. All may have obvious fossils in them (after all limestone is made of fossils)!

We are fortunate in the UK, as Good Limestone is plentiful in Europe, especially in Spain, Portugal and Turkey, where many of our fireplaces are made and imported into Britain.
Prices are relatively low for these imports and the choices very good...

Limestone is a relatively soft stone, and well suited to cut and carve into fireplaces of all styles and types.
Choices in design are now vast for Limestone fireplaces, although with the imported limestone fireplaces, sizes may not be able to be varied that much because they are not made in the UK!

Caring for your limestone fireplace is important as the stone is open poured and is absorbent. It can stain and mark easily, especially in its first year.
I recommend that all limestone fireplaces are chemically sealed. There are several specialised products on the market that are excellent for this purpose. (See below).
Do not be tempted to buy a cheap sealant, as it may alter the colour and hardly do the job of protection at all!
Your fireplace showroom should be able to seal your fireplace for you, but this will probably cost you a little extra, but believe me its well worth it - an unsealed limestone is a contestant for a quickly ruined fireplace!!

To clean your limestone fireplace, simply use a damp sponge with a very little washing up liquid in the small amount of water you must use. If your limestone fireplace is well sealed, this is all that should be required. Never use polishes on limestone or propriety cleaners as they will darken the colour and create ugly patches on the surface of your limestone fireplace.

Limestone fireplaces are best suited to go with gas or electric fires as they are very clean burning. Coal and wood burning fires or stoves are far more grubby, and this could get on the limestone surface, giving you a cleaning job. If your limestone fireplace is well sealed, any grubby ness should come off however - limestone fireplaces are otherwise suited to the extra heat given off by a real fire.

The one thing to avoid with a limestone fireplace is shovelling ashes out on the surface of a limestone hearth.(Cleaning up after a real fire) If you are likely to do this with your chosen fire, either change the fire or use a different stone for the hearth. Black granite is ideal, which could be in the form a small inset section called a hearth plate or the complete hearth in the granite.

Overall limestone should be an excellent choice for your fireplace!

Below can be seen a selection of our favourite limestones, and where they originate from!

Agean limestone from Turkey
Off white and almost plain

Portuguese Limestone
A general term for beige limestone from various areas in Portugal.

Moca crème
A beige and veined limestone from Portugal
Very popular and durable

Semi Rijio
Currently, the most popular Portuguese /Spanish limestone for fireplaces.
A light fawn to vanilla in colour with light beige veining. Looks beautiful

Calicsa Capri
More off white than Semi Rijio and a little more mottled from fossils in the limestone.
Still a very attractive stone!

Moleanus
A slightly mottled limestone from Portugal
A lightly mottled cream with a slight sheen