How do I make a 1970s floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace look modern?

Dry it out before you dress it up

Transylvania County's rainfall is brutal on a chimney. The crawl spaces and chimney chases around downtown Brevard and the cabins toward Pisgah are especially prone to hidden moisture damage, and a beautiful new veneer laid over a spalling, damp substrate just traps the problem and fails early.

So we start with the crown, the cap, and the flue. Once the water is managed, a limewash to calm the 1970s color or a clean vertical reface will hold up through the wet March-to-June stretch instead of blistering off it.

Propane country, done correctly

Much of Brevard sits in propane territory rather than on a gas main. If the remodel includes retiring a smoky old wood-burner, a sealed direct-vent or linear insert converted for propane gives clean, power-optional heat behind the new stone — a Kozy Heat Springfield is the kind of unit built for propane cabins like these.

That conversion needs a licensed gas line and the regulator and pressures set for LP, which in North Carolina is licensed work no mason or hardscaper can legally do. We pull the Transylvania County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector.

Protect the new work from the rain

With Transylvania's rainfall, a remodel that ignores the water path is a remodel you redo. As part of the job we make sure a stainless cap and a sound, sealed crown are protecting the flue above your handsome new stone, so the wet season isn't quietly working behind the finish. It is the difference between a wall that still looks new in five years and one that spalls and stains its way back to where it started. Forty minutes from our Asheville showroom; call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.