I've done it all. Installing the fireplace, facing it, and building my own mantle. Keep in mind that a fireplace is an investment and adds value to the home. I kept this in mind when I was deciding on materials. I used something know as thin brick. It's real brick but only a half-inch thick! Cost about $80.00 for seven square feet. But well worth the price. For the mantle I was a little particular. I did my homework and saw the high $$$ of my style and preference. So I bought a ten foot by four inch by twelve inch piece of white pine wood from North Carolina. I live in Jersey and this dimension of wood is hard to find around here where everything is a homedepot or a lowes. But the wood wasn't completely dried either. Not a problem, cause I like a real wood and warp like appearance. A friend did the carpentry and staining. I couldn't be happier. My point was don't settle for veneer or tile if it's not going to pay you dividens! Good luck.

I have 4 victorian marble fireplace mantles, all are mostly white carrara marble. They are all in need of some loving care - smoke stains, scratches, etching, dried adhesive where the iron firebox surrounds loosened. I can hire a marble restoration specialist to clean them up and repoint them but it is nearly $1500 a pop - more than I am willing to spend by a long shot. I am willing to do some of this work myself but want to know what products and processes I should use. Does anyone have any experience cleaning and polishing old marble? I'd love your expertise.

The required clearance to combustible materials for this gas fireplace/heater is 1/2" at the rear and sides and 0" at the floor. There is a noncombustible zone about a foot high above the metal frame of the glass and a few inches to the sides. The manufacturer's installation instructions say: "If installing Tiles or Faux Rock, first install a ýâ thick (minimum) Cement Board (Hardibacker or Durock Brand) over the face of the fireplace and framing members. Follow by applying Thinset mortar (no polymer additives) using üâ square notched trowel on the cement board surface. Finally, install tile to reach a finish material depth of 1 inch." "If installing Marble or Granite slabs as fascia materials, specify that the inner edges that will be adjacent to the Glass Door are polished ... Attach Marble or Granite slabs to face of unit and to drywall surface using adhesive that does not offgas when hot." I'm going to guess that the problem is some kind of plastic in the backing or setting materials behind the cladding that off-gases or softens from the heat of the fireplace. If this model has heating blowers in it, that might also contribute to the problem. Typical building codes requires that factory-build gas fireplaces be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions and so should your contract. This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Jan 25, 15 at 9:33

I did this when I moved into my home. Replaced an ugly dated type of granite surround with a beautiful Aliveri Marble. The hard part was not removing and re-installing the wood mantle. A good contractor can do this. It's been done several times on the This Old House show. No, the hard part is the hearth. Don't you have one? My hearth is cut-out into the floor. I.e. there is a rectangular stone inset into my floor in front of the fireplace. The stone contractor had to cut the Aliveri marble exactly to the millimeter to make sure it fit into the cut-out for the hearth. This takes skill, because--of course--the floor cut-out wasn't as square as it should have been.