Hello All, After thoroughly reviewing all the faux rock products on the market, our company decided to carry only those manufactured in the USA by Superior Faux Products, Inc. Their product line can be viewed at www.SuperiorFauxProducts.com. They incorporate actual pulverized rock in the outer membrane of their product so it looks and feels perfectly natural. Great for pools and back yard gardens. Here is a link that might be useful: American Faux Rocks Website

We had faux rock also. The surrounding area was drywall. If I recall, there was wire mesh and such behind the rock. You say you do not want to ruin the brick so it sounds like you already know what is behind yours?? I would think there is mortar behind the rock and it is stuck to the brick?? I am not sure how you would remove without harming the brick. Now for our situation we got a pneumatic jackhammer/chisel attachment for our air compressor. DH said it was a lifesafer for removing the rock. Our raise hearth was made of cement retaining wall type builders bricks. It took two solid days to remove all the debris but he said it would have taken longer by hand. I think pics of what you actually have would really help.

We just had this done. There are many brands of synthetic stone on the market. Owens Corning has the biggest share of the market with their Cultured Stone. This stuff is used for fireplaces all the time. Check out their website for nice photos. I know that if you want the stone to go inside the actual fireplace (the box where the logs are) they use another product in that area (the lady I bought from said "fire brick") but the synthetic stone is used all around the opening to the fireplace. We have real stone on the top of the hearth -but that was for cost and aesthetics. We had ours done and I am not happy with the workmanship-the stone however is very nice. We didnÂt use the Owens Corning-rather we went with a local manufacturer. I can hardly find a repeat and my fireplace is 14 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

Hi Terrapots, I'm not an expert but because I've been researching and working with sealers quite a bit these last few months (I'm doing sample pieces now for our deck project), I would suggest trying an enhancing sealer. If the faux stone is at all porous, it will accept it. Enhancers darken color and seal at the same time. I just did several hundred SF of copper quartzite, which, left natural is very blah. Enhancing it does wonders! If the faux stone isn't porous, it won't accept stain and your only option, I think, would be to paint it. Try a few samples in hidden areas. Brands I've used for sealing/enhancing are StoneTech, 511 Miracle, AquaMix and I'm currently sampling Aldon's Same Day Sealer and UltraPel from White Mountain (for my precast concrete but they'll work on any stone) For your flagstone, if you want to keep the natural look use an impregnating sealer (not an enhancer) (all above mentioned make them) Epoxies and Polyurethanes will coat the surface and can cause problems down the road with flaking and peeling. You can also choose a sealer that will give you the wet look. Try a local stone supply but stay away from big box brands. My experiences with those products haven't been good. You do get what you pay for :)