Limestone is very durable and is a great choice for a fireplace!
However, limestone is also quite soft and relatively porous, requiring care on the part of the homeowner to prevent stains and dirt marks from marring the surface, especially for new limestone fireplaces!
Some important points for first time buyers!
Your limestone fireplace should be chemically sealed with a good quality sealant. The best sealers do not change the color of the limestone to any degree, but they do prevent potential stains from easily penetrating the stone. Your chimney dealer should seal your chimney for you (probably at extra cost) or provide you with a can of liquid caulking to paint over the surface yourself (also probably at extra cost). These sealants cost around £20 or more per can, so if you see one for much less, don’t use it as it may not be good enough and could darken the color of your limestone chimney.
If you have a limestone hearth, you must seal it twice. Let the first coat dry completely, then add the second. Be sure not to apply too much sealer, as this could cause a change in the surface if it soaks through!
You may need to repeat the entire sealing process after six months or a year, especially if the fireplace is for solid fuel. After that, your limestone fireplace probably won’t require any more chemical sealing.
Limestone Chimney Cleaning
The best way to clean a dirty mark from your limestone fireplace is to simply use a clean cotton cloth dampened with a very weak dishwashing liquid. But don’t soak the stone!
If you have coffee or wine etc spilled on the surface of your limestone fireplace, don’t panic, just wipe it off thoroughly with a damp cloth and all should be well.
A number of things not to do:
- Never use wax or spray polishes on a limestone fireplace, as these products can darken the limestone surface and create patches.
- Never use kitchen or bathroom cleaners as they could react with the limestone surface.
- Never allow cigarettes to be placed on the surface of the stone, the heat could cause a brown scar.
- Never place flower vases directly on the limestone surface as this could cause a permanent ring mark!
- Never place red wine, tea or coffee, etc., directly on your limestone fireplace – stains and ring marks could occur!
- Never place charcoal or logs directly on the surface of the fireplace: damage and staining may occur!
- Never apply plaster over a limestone fireplace, as the stone will take on the color of the plaster.
The above list of “do not doFor limestone, it can also be found here on the Money Saving Experts Forum, as I posted it there in the first place, before writing this article!
Real fires, limestone chimneys and heat cracks!It is important to note that limestone can crack from the heat of a real fire!
A section of limestone hearth, which is close to an actual fire, can get very hot, while the edges of the hearth can remain relatively cool. Given the right time, a limestone hearth is virtually guaranteed to crack!
There are things you can do to overcome this type of problem… One of the most common is to have a limestone hearth cut/sectioned and resealed for actual fire use!
To achieve this, the hearth is cut into several sections and then reassembled with joints… These joints act as expansion joints. In addition to this, the hearth is normally backed with high temperature cement, for extra protection!
Joints in the home must now prevent stress from spreading across the surface and thus prevent the home from cracking; A heat plate can also be used to help protect the limestone from heat and scratches.