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

Safety before cosmetics on flood-touched homes

A lot of the mill-town homes along the Pigeon River took water, and a submerged or corroded gas valve, control, or connection is not something to hide behind pretty new stone. So on Canton jobs we start by inspecting the firebox and every gas connection — many valley homes needed full appliance replacement after the flooding, not a cosmetic touch-up.

Valley-floor fog and dampness also rust dampers and caps here earlier than you'd expect, so the flue and cap get a look at the same time. Clear all of that, and the finish work you choose will actually last.

Then the modern face, done right

With the safety side settled, the update follows the usual paths: a mineral wash to mute the busy 1970s color, a clean reface over the existing stone, or a full rebuild of the surround. If a tired firebox is being replaced too, a sealed direct-vent insert brings clean, power-optional heat back into a rebuilt room.

Canton is mixed-fuel, so the conversion is set for natural gas or propane as your home requires. We pull the Haywood County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector — the licensed step a mason cannot do. Twenty minutes from our Asheville showroom.

We stand by it after the storm

For homes still recovering, it helps to know one company owns the whole result. We service all major hearth brands, so whatever ends up behind your new stone, we can maintain and repair it, and our line answers 24/7 for the no-heat calls that come on the coldest nights. That single-source accountability — appliance, gas, permit, and follow-up under one roof — is exactly what a rebuilt valley home needs, rather than stitching the job across a showroom, a mason, and whoever is free. Call (828) 545-0525.