Concrete Fireplace Surrounds - A Hot Decorating Trend
As a residential building material, concrete is all the rage. Concrete fireplace surrounds embody that trend and push it to the limit.
Concrete Outdoors
For years, concrete has been a welcome material outside our homes. The foundation of virtually every home - literally speaking - is made of some form of concrete. Either mixed concrete is poured into forms and allowed to cure, or a foundation is fashioned from concrete blocks and mortar.
Similarly, concrete sidewalks have lined our neighborhoods since the early 20th century. Many of these sidewalks survive to this day, with their date of pouring stamped into them as they cured: 1908, 1910, and 1922. Others, broken and cracked by tree limbs or earthquakes, are a patchwork of repairs.
Many new homes, to this day, have a concrete patio poured when the home is built. This is yet another outdoor application for concrete.
Concrete Indoors
Recent times have seen decorating trends focus on use of natural materials like stone, iron, and concrete. Countertops, fireplace surrounds, and flooring are no longer made of formica and linoleum. Concrete has the advantage of looking like stone, yet being easier to work with. Concrete is poured into forms when it cures. Forms can be made of wood, Styrofoam, clay, or any other material that easily separates from concrete when it is cured. With such a broad variety of forms available, a concrete fireplace surround can be fashioned into creative shapes, with rounded edges that could never be achieved with stone or brick.
Modern Concrete Fireplace Surrounds
Modern décor has never been as popular as it is today. A modern color palette is a cool palette, and a natural concrete fire surround and hearth bench, with its natural, stone like surface and variegated hues of grey, fits the bill perfectly for a modern interior.
One of the most dramatic concrete fireplace surrounds available continues the concrete all the way up the wall to the ceiling, creating a concrete column surrounding the fireplace. A shiny black wooden mantel surrounds the firebox and sets the concrete off to its best advantage.
In another application, bright white concrete is molded in classic Federal columns, giving the appearance of white limestone, marble, or travertine.
Concrete is one of the most porous materials known to humankind; it takes stain better than any other material, including wood. Because of varying amounts of moisture that remain in concrete as it cures, staining concrete produces a natural looking finish with appealing variations that can only occur at Nature's hand. Thus, stained concrete is one of the most popular concrete fireplace surround finishes available today.
