Jointing stone and materials
Fitting your fireplace is almost as important as choosing it. While the standard range are not complicated to fit, they are VERY heavy. Our stone fireplaces are made from very thick stone blocks, and are thus very heavy. This therefore involves careful handling and some forward planning, but any competant experienced builder will be able to do it.
The one essential difference when fitting stone, as opposedd to laying bricks, is the thickness of the joints. It is really important that the joints between the stone blocks are very thin. (ideally around 3mm) This is a lot narrower than the 10-12 mm joints that one would see in brick laying.
When you are next in a stone building you will see what we mean. Maybe your local church is built in stone? if so, have a look. Stone masons are highly trained and spend years learning their trade, and find joints is one of the skills they aquire. Of course it’s not just the joints, as in complex stone structures, the fine accuracy and sizing of the blocks is what makes the whole structure fit together correctly. This could be anything from a whole stone house, or a sweeping stone staircase, or a complex and elaborate stone fireplace.
Once you get into the more complex stone structures: Large architectural items, or stone stairs for example, then you do really need a trained stone mason. There are some very experienced general builders who do have sufficient skills, but they are rare, and in order to avoid any problems we would always recommend using a trained stone mason for any complex stonework.