Cultured Ledgestone and Lopi Revere

[jbomb]

Hi,

I purchased a Lopi Revere but have not received it yet because I am in the process of installing cultured pro alpine ledgestone over my existing fireplace, and laying down a slab of bluestone for the hearth. I am pretty sure that the surround panel size I need is 8 inches all around. I was wondering if anyone has this setup so I can see some pictures of how it will look.

Do I put the ledgestone over the entire front of the fireplace and do my best to set the surround up flush against the jagged ledgestone? Is that how people do it? Or, do some people choose to have the surround sit flush against the existing brick and only install the ledgestone around the surround? The latter here sounds strange because what if I decided to remove the stove, then it would look silly with the old bricks exposed, right?

One more question. If someone has done this, did you use corner peices of stone around the opening or end the stone at the opening and maybe mortar over the exposed brick on the inside of the opening?

Thank you for your help!

 

[humpin iron]

The surround will look and fit poorly against the ledgestone. When my shop does a job like this we out line the FP opening with three, 4 inch strips of bluestone. Like a picture frame. This gives a nice clean edge for the surround to go up against, matches the hearth and a nice edge for the ledgestone to butt up to. I can PM you the link to our website if you want to see a pic of a job we did, I don't like to post my site on Hearth.com, thats not why it's here.

 

[jbomb]

Thank you! I would love to see what it will look like, so maybe I will go in the direction you describe.

 

[begreen]

humpin iron, that sounds like a nice solution. Can you post the picture here? (No need to link to site.) I'd like to see the finished product too.

 

[HollowHill]

humpin iron, that sounds like a nice solution. Can you post the picture here? (No need to link to site.) I'd like to see the finished product too.

+1 Me, too!

 

[jbomb]

Would anyone recommend me installing the insert first so I know exactly where the surround ends, then with the stove in place install the ledgestone to closely abut it? Or will this make a mess of the stove?

I think I want the ledgestone to abut the surround, versus the bluestone border as suggested above (okay, my wife does too! ) Thank You!

Addendum: I suppose I can probably place the stove in its place, then trace around the surround (don't have the stove yet), then remove the stove. BUT, I am sure the stove is heavy, and I am not installing it. Not sure what the installer would think of that, that is coming over, putting it in place, then moving it out again until I finish the stone work. As you can see, I am not sure about much! This is the first time dealing with this type of project.

Or I guess I could get the measurements from the manufacture, then hope the stove is installed correctly and the measurements are accurate. I like this method the least, but is it most practical?

Thanks

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

humpin iron, that sounds like a nice solution. Can you post the picture here? (No need to link to site.) I'd like to see the finished product too.

+1 Me, too!

me three!

 

[JoeRJGR]

JBomb,

I struggled with the exact same issue whne I used stone veneers over my brick, and one of my solutions was to do what the one installer suggested. I was going to cut pieces of limestone (same as hearth) and make a even place for the surround to go....

Ultimitly i decided that you wont really see the gaps between the surround and the stone unless you are standing right over it...I mean the old brass glass doors had gaps bteen the brick and the mortor..I'll see if my plan works, the insert is being installed on Thursday...

Here are pics of the stone work...

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/74227/

 

[JoeRJGR]

Oh - and go ahead and increase the size of the hearth extension as well....mine was 18" and I went ahead and made it 20"...which is code for a big fireplace anyway...

 

[jbomb]

Very nice work! I like it.

I had to enlarge my hearth for the mere fact that the LOPI Revere has a cooktop surface and I needed 16 inches in front of the already protruded 10 inch stove from the opening. The existing brick hearth was only 18 inches as well. My about to be installed hearth will be 76 inch by 28 inch of bluestone.

I think the proline alpine cultured stone is slightly more uneven than your stone by the looks of it but I could be wrong. Essentially you think I should just lay the surround right over the stone, which I am contemplating if it is the best option. You are probably right, will I even really notice the gaps between the stone and surround. I started to think about this issue when the installer said I would need to find a way to insulate the gaps, true or not I have no idea. Maybe he meant just to give it a smoother appearance, not sure. I am hoping someone on here has done this with the ledgestone.
Thank You!

I LOOK FORWARD to seeing how it looks with the stove inserted!

 

[JoeRJGR]

I would think you are right, that the ledgestone is probably more uneven....I even tried to put stones that were similar in place to keep it more even, but its pretty much impossible because the stones weren't flat all the way across...

I'll send you a pic on Thurday!

 

[jbomb]

At this point I will build a frame out of plywood and 2x4's and make it the exact size of the LOPI revere stove with 8" panels. I hope the dimensions on LOPI's web page are accurate for this panel size (27-5/8 high and 40-3/8 wide). Anyone have one that they can measure for me? I will lay the ledgestone slightly up to the wooden frame, remove the frame later and set the panels inside the stone flush against the scratch coat (brick underneath). I do not want to put a border of bluestone around the opening. Does this sound reasonable? Any foreseeable issues with this?

Thank You