A customer out of West Bend, Iowa recently sent us photos one of the most impressive projects we've seen for a while - building an amazing stone style fireplace with our Stacked Stone panels.
There is nothing quite as home-spun as a crackling log fire in a beautiful stone fireplace - but for most of us, that's the stuff of fantasy. Modern house-building methods no longer require real stone, and it's prohibitively expensive to add it to the design.
But thanks to our panels, there's a compromise that doesn't really feel like much of a compromise at all - and these photos, sent from our customer in West Bend, Iowa, demonstrate that beautifully.
They created a stunning stacked stone fireplace that looks incredibly realistic - and they did it all at a fraction of the cost, and in a fraction of the time it would have taken to build one out of real stone or masonry.
These pictures tell the story of how the fireplace was created. First off, the shape of it was built using traditional framing methods. Then the mechanics of a wood-burning stove were place inside; and in such a way to safely ensure there were no fire hazards. But the clever part came afterward - adding the panel finish.
The stone panels attached directly to the board that the fireplace shape was built out of - installing with wood screws and construction adhesive. To make sure they fitted the shape, the designers cut the panels to size with a regular wood saw, and used our trim accessories to finish the look.
The result was a beautiful fireplace that was not only fully functional, but also vividly realistic. Short of actually physically touching the panels yourself, it's impossible to tell that they're not real stone - and when the wood burning stove is lit, you might as well be in a country cabin.
For those concerned about safety, the fireplace itself was crafted to make sure it didn't pose a fire risk - and, as a added precaution, our panels are available with fire-rated polyurethane for use near fireplaces and ovens. You can rest easy knowing that ease-of-installation and affordability don't come at the cost of safety - and neither do you have to compromise on the vivid look of stone.
Are you as impressed with this project as we are? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
