Need Help With Hearth Construction...Anyone Know A Mason On Delmarva?

Can you post some pictures of the area your wanting to build it at, might get some comments going.

Masons are a tricky bunch in this area, I will call a friend of mine that is in the business and see if he does hearths.

I did corner install as the picture. Mine was a base material was 2" thick, 18" x 18" sand color, stone finish manufactured pavers, and a border of limestone. The back walls are cultured stone (brand) river rock. 5' each side and 5' high with a limestone mantel. My base pavers and walls are put over stucco screening Nailed to the wood fllor and the sheet rock walls. I used a guy the stove store had doing there jobs. I saw some of his work in the store. The few in the store didn't look to good but I thought he had just did them quick. Well mine looked like crap wrong dimension (couldn't see the drawing forgot his glasses) base was not symmetrical layout, he decided to use black grout. He refused to fix it. No way this was staying, I ripped it out (didn't pay for it) The rip out took me 1/2 an hour.

So I drove around and found this type of stone being put up on a builders model house. The job was perfect. The builder gave my the number of the guy. Great guy. His job at my house has gotten him a few more jobs. One other place I would check is with local material supplier, they can hook you up with a stone guy in you area. Just go see there work. If your handy you can do it yourself, not much different than tiling a bathroom floor.

Tom

http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Delmarva.Natural.Stone.Company.Inc.Greenwood.DE.302-349-5050

Have you tried calling those guys?

I think the problem you may be having is all masons don't do this, hence the no response. My guy got started doing real field stone walls. I think he coincides himself a stone artist. He laid out my irregular shaped stones on the floor, shuffling them for hours until he had the right look. My father"s neighbor had a boy friend / girl friend team do a great looking manufactured stone installation on the outside of the house. She was the artist doing the layout and he the glue up to the wall. The river rock I did does require a good layout to keep the grouting consistent. A friend of mine, who never did this before did the exposed exterior basement wall of his house with something that looks like your picture. It was called a dry stack, no grout. It went up real easy. One tip, since the pieces are stuck to the wall, start at the top and work down, you avoid the mud dropping down on the finished stones. So good luck you will find some one, I'd talk to tile people.

Tom

Did you find someone?

Can you update this thread, looking at redoing my mantle this summer and curious how you got yours done.

Thanks.

fdegree said:

OK, here is my problem...I can't find a local mason that wants to work. I have found this quite hard to believe in todays economy, but that is a discussion for another forum.

I want to build a raised hearth. The framing of the hearth is no problem...I can handle that myself. But, I want to finish the raised hearth, and the rear wall, with manufactured stone (environmental stone). Masonry work is not something I have any experience with, so I was going to hire that part out. But, I can't find a mason who wants to even return my calls...I've tried four different masons over the past 2 weeks.

So, this brings me to 2 questions:
1. How difficult is the masonry work and can someone talk me through it in a simplified step-by-step manner?
2. Does anyone know a reputable mason, in the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) area, who would be interested in the project? I live in the little town of Seaford, DE

Click to expand...

Looks to me, the way you have this layed out 1) you have a"drawing" - you took the time to do it AND 2) you have it layed out with tape what you want AND 3) you can build the hearth base - do the framing. Looks like you are the man for the job. It seems to me you have the brain to get it done and the detail to get it done right. Just a matter of determining the proper steps and proper materials AND do you have the time to figure this out and want to do it. From my personal experience, I built a tile hearth pad last fall (easy compared to your project). It was a matter talking to people who had done this type of work and getting some confidence that I could do it as well. In the end, I have a hearth pad that I am proud I built and looks as good as other tile work I have looked at. I also saved several hundred dollars. Wish you luck on getting this job done. Either yourself or a finding a mason.

"If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with"!

Pics of what you were previously thinking of doing in my sig link below. Little late to the thread... Link to stone mason's http://www.stonefoundation.org/membersusa.html