The Elegance of A Marble Fireplace Mantel

When most folks think about marble in their homes, they think of kitchen countertops or marble floors. Well, let's not forget another area where marble can make an excellent choice of materials, and that is a marble fireplace mantel.

As a natural stone product, marble has been used in construction projects throughout the ages. The Greeks and Romans used marble as a decoration, flooring, support columns, and statues in many of the structures that still stand today. Marble exudes elegance and class, and has withstood the test of time. Marble is now being quarried all over the world, bringing the benefit of an unbelievable diverse range of colors and patterns, plus very competitive pricing.

One of the amazing things about marble is that no two pieces are alike, the fault lines and fossils that have engrained themselves into the stone over the centuries creates an everlasting beauty that cannot be matched by any man made reproduction.

Besides the most common use of kitchen and bathroom countertops and flooring, marble makes an excellent choice as a fireplace mantel and surround. In years past, the only way to purchase a marble fireplace mantel was to have it custom crafted and that usually took it out of many peoples home remodeling budgets.

Recently however, an industry producing a line of standard marble fireplace mantels has been created. These manufacturers are situated all over the world from the UK to China, the US and many of the South American countries. The products are being found in high end home remodeling centers and are relatively easy to install. Most home handymen are quite capable of performing the installation.

The one drawback in using marble is that it does need some added care and maintenance to maintain its unique beauty. As with most other natural stones, marble is porous and needs to be sealed, preferably with a penetrating sealer ever 12 months. A penetrating sealer will prevent dirt and grime from entering the microscopic cavities within the stone.

For those with a higher remodeling budget, you can have custom crafted fireplace mantels made from marble in a variety of different designs. Nowadays, most marble fireplace mantels are now hollow, reducing an old problem of using marble, that being weight.

Adding a marble fireplace mantel will create a room with an incredible atmosphere. It will turn any room with a fireplace into a main focal point. Just don't forget to go all the way by installing a marble floor and some nice lamps to give it an added touch.