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(571) 436-0844 Text (540) 660-7785 Showroom · 1314 N Royal Ave, Front Royal VA Mon–Fri 8–5  ·  Sat 10–4 Firefighter Owned · Licensed VA & WV

Hearth Stones

Solid Stone Hearths

Bluestone, limestone, soapstone and granite, cut to your opening. A single slab, properly sized and properly edged, is the difference between a fireplace and a feature.

The Slab

One Piece, Cut to Fit

A hearth in one solid piece of stone reads completely differently from a tiled one. No grout lines, no cracked joints in five years, nothing for ash to sit in, and an edge detail you can actually run your hand along.

We cut them to the opening — raised, flush or floating — and we can match a stone veneer on the breast or deliberately contrast it.

Bluestone hearth
BluestoneThe Mid-Atlantic default. Dense, cool-toned, thermally shocks well and looks right on almost any house in this Valley.
Limestone hearth
LimestonePale, soft-looking and calm. Warms a grey room. Wants sealing and it will patina.
Soapstone hearth
SoapstoneDark, silky, and it holds heat like nothing else — which is exactly why the good stoves are lined with it. Ages beautifully.
Granite hearth
GraniteHardest wearing and the widest colour range. Polished, honed or flamed depending on how much shine the room wants.

Getting It Right

Thickness, Overhang and Edge

ThicknessTypically 1-1/4″ to 2″. Thicker reads more substantial and is more robust at the front edge, and it also weighs a great deal more.
ExtensionThe stone still has to meet the appliance’s required hearth extension in front of and to the sides of the opening. Looks do not override the manual.
Edge profileSquare, eased, bullnose, chiselled or a natural rock face. A chiselled front on bluestone is the most requested thing we cut.
Raised, flush or floatingA raised hearth doubles as seating. A flush hearth disappears into the floor. A cantilevered floating slab is the most modern of the three and needs the most structure behind it.
SupportA two-inch slab across a wide opening is heavy. Where there is a raised or floating hearth, we build the support and check what is under the floor first.
SealingLimestone and some granites want a penetrating sealer. Soapstone wants mineral oil if you want it dark, and nothing at all if you are happy to let it go grey.

If it is protecting a stove, R-value still applies

A solid stone hearth under a freestanding stove or an insert is a hearth pad, and it has to meet the appliance’s published R-value and extension — stone on its own is often not enough thermal protection without insulating board beneath it.

Tell us what the appliance is and we will build the assembly to the number in its manual. See hearth pads.

Come See It

Bring the Opening Dimensions

Width, depth, the height off the floor and what is under it. We can quote a slab off that and cut it to suit. Doing the wall too? Look at stone veneer and mantels in the same visit.

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