Serving UK & Ireland

Stone Cladding for Fireplaces

A chimney breast is a small area that gets looked at constantly, and firelight is the most flattering light there is for textured stone. These are the darker, more textured products in our range — the ones that hold their character against a lit fire rather than washing out.

11 products in this range

Why texture matters at a fireplace

Light from a stove or a fire arrives low and from one side, which is the ideal angle for raking across a textured surface. Mini stacked stone, with a face thickness that varies from 6mm to 15mm, throws a shadow on every course under that light. A flat, polished surface in the same position gives you a reflection instead.

That is why the four mini stacked stone colourways head this list, with Charcoal slate the most requested. Valley Slate, Classic and Rustic ZClad bring the same idea in a larger interlocking panel for a full-height breast, and Dark Slate, Slate Cladding Slips and Classic Slips give it in solid stone laid course by course.

Heat, clearances and safety

This is the one application where the appliance sets the rules, not the cladding. Every stove and fire has a manufacturer's stated distance to combustibles and requirements for non-combustible surfaces around and above it, and those figures take priority over anything on this page. If a stove is being installed, a HETAS registered installer should confirm the build-up before the stone goes on.

The stone itself is quarried slate and quartzite. What sits behind it is the question — the substrate and the adhesive both have to be suitable for the temperatures at that position, and the adhesive manufacturer's guidance governs. Tell us the appliance and the intended layout when you enquire and we will make sure the products we quote are appropriate for the position.

Setting out a chimney breast

Work from a level line rather than the hearth, which is often out. Return the stone into the reveals at the sides of the breast so the edge of the cladding is never seen end-on, and decide early whether the stone runs the full height to the ceiling or stops at a mantel — a stopped run needs a clean edge detail and looks best with a shelf or a return.

A typical breast of two to three square metres takes five to seven boxes of mini stacked stone plus a cutting allowance, and it is worth dry-laying a square metre first to spread the tonal variation before anything is stuck down.

  • Chimney breasts around wood burners and gas fires
  • Media walls combining a TV and an electric fire
  • Inglenook returns and hearth surrounds
  • Feature stacks running full height to a vaulted ceiling

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