How to decorate a fireplace with marble

Marble fireplaces are the top of luxury and chic in the minds of many people. But the portal of this stone will not be expensive, so very often the fireplace itself is made up of brick, and then it is faced with marble.

We will tell you about the features of this process, as well as about the subtleties of choice and care for marble.

Making measurements

In order to choose the right marble for the facing of the fireplace, you must first measure each part of the fireplace and on the basis of this data make his drawing.

You can also call a specialist at home, he will not only be able to measure correctly, but with the help of samples of marble brought with him, he will help you decide on the choice of material, and with sharp ends.

Marble for a fireplace can be ordered in workshops that deal with cutting marble, negotiate a price for the work and if it suits, give a drawing with the dimensions of the master( carver).

Tip: if the marble has a clearly defined pattern, it is necessary to pre-lay the slabs on the floor and fold them so that the pattern coincides and then mark out.

Choose marble

Marble can be finished only with fireplaces made of brick, aerated concrete or foam concrete. The choice of facing stone must be approached very responsibly. Especially important is the quality of the material, if the fireplace will perform not only decorative functions, but also really melted from time to time.

When buying marble, you need to pay attention to the following criteria:

• one-piece cooker or crumb. When decorating brick fireplaces, you can use both marble slabs and solid pieces of stone. Plates can be made from natural marble or from marble chips. Plates of crumbs are much cheaper, but plates made of natural stone are much more durable;
• the integrity of marble. Each tile should be inspected for cracks, chips and other defects. If they are found, the tile needs to be changed;
• color. Marble can have a variety of textures( antique, polished, etc.) and colors( black, gray, white, pink).Each buyer has their own color preferences, but it should be noted that it's much easier to look after dark marble. It is less visible spots.

Choose other materials

For facing you will need:

• glue( for gluing the plates to the surface of the fireplace);
• mastic filling the joints and bonding the plates together;
• primer.

It's not easy to work with marble, so it's necessary to choose an adhesive mixture that after complete drying would not leave marks on the marble surface from the glue. In the process described in the photo, we used LITOKOL LITOPLUS glue for white marble.

Tip: for marbles of other colors, you need to purchase other types that are suitable for them. In no case should you use, for example, glue for white marble, which contains white cement, for facing the brick with black marble, there may be stains on it.

To fill the seams and fasten the plates, we used ROBERLO Marmotix mastic.

For facing it is better to choose a primer, which does not contain chemical components harmful to human health and solvents. We used a primer CERESIT CT-17.

We select the tools

For facing the fireplace with marble you will need:

• brush( for priming the surface of the fireplace);
• drill and drill( for gluing the glue);
• notched trowel for tile( it is applied glue to the surface of marble);
• trowel( they get glue from the bucket);
• rubber spatula( for filling joints);
• elbow( needed to install marble slabs at the right angle of 90 degrees);
• paint tape( glued to the stability of the marble plates with each other until the adhesive LITOKOL completely dries).

Preparatory work for

1. Before starting the installation of marble plates, we sweep dust and dust off the surface of the fireplace with a brush or a brush.
2. Use a brush to apply a primer to the entire surface of the fireplace.

Preparation of the adhesive "Litokol"

Pour into a specially prepared container about a quarter of the bucket and mix with a drill. The mixture should not turn out to be very liquid, for better fixation to the surface. The adhesive is infused for 5-10 minutes and then mixed again. Stir it carefully, so that the adhesive mixture becomes homogeneous( without lumps).

Preparation of polyester mastic ROBERLO "MARMOTIX"

The glue is mixed with the hardener( it comes with glue) and mix thoroughly. The curing agent is used for fast setting. The whole process will take about half an hour.

We turn to the

Important! It is necessary to start facing from the front side of the fireplace.

Step 1. Apply a thin layer of adhesive to the slab using a trowel spatula.

Step 2 .Then we put the adhesive mixture and lean against the surface of the fireplace. Thus, the marble slab is fixed directly to the brick on the fireplace.

Step 3. We lightly pallet the pallet for better jointing.

Step 4. In the same way we attach marble slabs and from the side of the fireplace, with the help of a square we place the slabs at an angle of 90 degrees.

Step 5. We spread the glue and fill it in the gap in the empty spaces between the surface of the fireplace and the marble slab. Full drying of the adhesive occurs in 24 hours.

Step 6. The joints between the ends of the plates are glued in advance with a paint tape, in order to avoid the adhesives on the marble surface and fill with polyester mastic ROBERLO "MARMOTIX".This is necessary in order for the plates to fit together better. Also, the mastic serves as filler of the joints.

Step 7. The mastic is mixed with the hardener in a pre-prepared container. Apply the resulting mixture to the ends between the plates with a rubber spatula.

Step 8. To ensure that the standing plates are stable and the marble does not fall off the surface of the fireplace, we temporarily glue the corners of the plates together with a paint tape.

Step 9. After complete drying( it takes about several hours), remove the tape. Step 10 .After the plates are glued vertically to the front of the fireplace, proceed to the installation of the slab, which will be placed above them horizontally( columns will be placed on it).

Step 11. Columns, also called balusters, are glued using ROBERLO "MARMOTIX".On their ends from above and from below we put mastic. We install columns along the edges of the fireplace.

Step 12. After completely drying the LITOKOL glue, place the slab over the columns. Columns serve as a support for the upper plate, and also make the design of the fireplace more refined.

Step 13. After the glue on all details of the construction of the fireplace has dried, fill the seams on the marble with mastic. After drying, the seams are rubbed with sandpaper.

How to care for marble

1. With a weekly cleaning, the fireplace can be wiped with a damp cloth moistened with warm water.
2. To remove stale spots, you can use special powders for cleaning marble.
3. To ensure that the marble does not get soiled, a special wax coating can be applied to it.
4. With long-term use, the grate or fireplaces will inevitably come into contact with the marble with which it is trimmed and leave stains of rust. This can be avoided by periodically processing metal parts with an anti-corrosion compound.

Important: in no case need to clean the marble with any acid-containing products. From them, the stone begins to crack. The use of abrasive detergents is also contraindicated, from them on the marble there are cracks.

If you adhere to the above tips, the fireplace will serve as objects of envy and admiration for all guests at home. And the marble with which it is finished, will need to be changed only after many years.