How do I make a 1970s floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace look modern?
In Arden the 1970s-and-later stone in Royal Pines and Skyland usually wraps a drafty open masonry firebox that pulls heat out of the room. The best update does both jobs at once: reface or limewash the stone for the modern look, and drop a sealed insert into that opening so the wall becomes a real heater. Natural gas runs the mains here.
Turn a heat-loser into a heater
The tired open fireplaces in Arden's established 1980s-90s neighborhoods do more than look dated — an open masonry firebox can run a net heat loss, quietly pulling warm air up the chimney all evening. Modernizing the face without addressing that leaves the worst part in place.
So the move here is a sealed direct-vent gas insert set into the opening behind a refaced or limewashed wall. Inserts commonly run 70% efficient or better, which flips the fireplace from a draft you tolerate into controllable heat you actually use.
Clean face, simple conversion
For the look, refacing over the existing stone with porcelain or thin veneer and squaring off a chunky hearth gives the flat, modern floor-to-ceiling wall; a limewash is the lighter-touch route if you like the texture. Arden's natural-gas mains make the conversion a clean line extension rather than a propane project.
We pull the Buncombe County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector — licensed work a mason cannot do. Fifteen minutes from our Asheville showroom.
Direct-vent is the safe default
When we convert a drafty open masonry firebox to gas here, a sealed direct-vent unit is almost always the right call — combustion is sealed off from the room, it vents straight out a sidewall or the roof, and it's safe even in a tight bedroom, no chimney required. That's a big step up from an open box that traded heat for a draft. If you love a tall, yellow, wood-like flame instead, a vented gas log set is the ambiance route, though it heats far less. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.