Fireplace

CMI Home Design Studio is proud to offer beautiful marble and granite fireplace options for your home or business.

The fireplace is the focal point of every home. Look at any interior design magazine and you will always see a picture of the fireplace. Fireplaces are recommended by home building experts as one of the top three ways to improve the resale value of the home. In fact, the #1 upgrade item chosen by new homeowners is the fireplace. If this is truly the focal point, then let's upgrade from cheap ceramic or marble tiles to a slab surround.

Natural stone is recognized as one of the hottest building and design products currently available for upgrading the interior of the home. Versatile in their application, stone products work beautifully with both traditional and contemporary designs.

Each piece of natural stone is unique in its characteristics; no other set is exactly the same. Natural stone products bring years of enjoyment with very little maintenance. It is readily available in a variety of different colors and textures to solve the most challenging design project. Unlike cultured marble, natural stone is nonflammable, meets all building codes and is guaranteed to be safer around a fireplace, especially when used on a vent-free fireplace.

Natural stone has been used for centuries to provide timeless elegance in cathedrals and palaces; this same product is now affordably priced for today's homeowner. Natural Stone will not only increase the value of your home, but will enhance the beauty of your fireplace for years to come.

What do I need to consider when buying marble or granite?

Marble and granite are natural stones that have has been blessed with a remarkable natural beauty that has captivated humans throughout the ages. Inherent in such natural products is a certain lack of predictability.

Consumers who are less acquainted with the material expect the marble ordered to be identical to the picture or sample they were shown. Although sample stones are intended to be representative of the quarry's product, the material quarried at one time may differ slightly in color and veining from the sample.

Moreover, even a single marble or granite slab will possess a certain amount of color variation from one end to the other. Slight irregularities can be pleasing, introducing an element of the natural into human-designed spaces, whether residential or commercial.

What's the difference between marble and granite?

Although both are stones and both are quarried from the earth, granite and marble are very different from each other. Granite is formed deep in the earth’s core at extremely high temperatures, and is a very hard, resistant stone made of crystallized minerals. The marble family - limestone, travertine, marble, onyx - starts out as sediment at the bottom of bodies of water. After millions of years this solidifies into stone.

Should I use marble or granite for my fireplace surround facing?

Both marble and granite are wonderful choices for the fireplace. Marble can scratch a bit easier than granite and is affected by acidic substances, such as vinegars. Granite in turn is considered one of the hardest stones, its polish is not subject to etching by household acids, or scratching under normal use.

MEDALLIONS

Want a unique, focal point in any room? Consider natural stone medallions for your floors and walls in your foyer, master bath, powder room, kitchen or dining room.

All work is custom made with your specific design and colors.