Marble fireplaces

Old fireplaces

A lot of houses in the Aube still have their original marble fireplaces, Louis XV with curves and a carved shell, or straighter Louis XVI. They're usually in grey veined, red or black marble. Some are cracked, painted over or missing their shelf, and most of them can still be restored.

Restoration

• Soot comes out with a poultice that draws it from the stone, no scrubbing.
• Paint is taken off without damaging the stone.
• Cracks and chips are filled with tinted resin, or a broken piece is remade in a matching marble.
• Dull surfaces are repolished.
• A surround can be taken down and rebuilt if the wall is redone or it moves room.

Behind the pieces there are metal cramps. When they rust, they swell and crack the marble, so we replace them with stainless steel.

New surrounds

Two jambs, a lintel and a shelf, or a frame of flat slabs. A modern one can be a single slab with the opening cut out, good in Calacatta or Nero Marquina. The hearth is thicker, often 3 cm, because logs get dropped on it. The same slab can carry on up the chimney breast as cladding.

Heat

Marble and granite take the heat round a fireplace, not inside the firebox. Quartz shouldn't go near the opening. The flue and stove are the chimney installer's job, we work to the clearances they set.

Soot

A damp cloth and pH-neutral soap for light marks. Cleaners sold for brick fireplaces are often acidic and mark marble.

Sizing

Jambs of 15 to 20 cm and a shelf a few centimetres wider each side is a common start. A tall room in an old house wants a deeper lintel and heavier shelf, a modern room may only need a 10 cm frame. We draw it to scale from your measurements before cutting.

Call +33 7 45 20 76 39 with front and side photos. See also tables and staircases.