What is fireplace refacing and what does it involve?
In Leicester, refacing means a new surface over the same firebox — and out on these rural large-lot properties, that firebox is often a real wood-burner or a propane unit. A reface keeps the heat source you rely on and changes only the wall around it, which matters where wood heat and limited electrical service make a dependable hearth non-negotiable.
Refacing a working wood heater
Wood heat is popular on Leicester's wooded rural properties, and refacing a wood-burning fireplace comes with a heat consideration a gas reface doesn't. The stone or tile field directly framing the opening sees genuine heat, so it has to be non-combustible and rated for it, with any wood mantel or trim kept well outside the listed clearance zone. Get that right and you've dressed up a real heater; get it wrong and you've built a hazard behind a pretty face. This is exactly the part we won't cut corners on.
Propane, cold hollows, and grid independence
Many homes out here run on propane, and cold-air drainage can leave these valleys 5 to 8 degrees colder than Asheville on clear nights. A reface is cosmetic on its own, but pairing it with a propane insert is licensed gas work — set for LP, permitted with Buncombe County, pressure-tested. Where electrical capacity is limited, a wood or millivolt-gas hearth that heats without depending on the grid is worth building the whole reface around, so the fireplace still works when the power doesn't.
Sound base, fifteen minutes west
We confirm the masonry is solid, prep painted brick so the finish bonds, and set the new material clean around the opening — heavier stone with our mason partners, thin veneer on the prepped wall. The firebox, flue, and fuel line all stay right where they are. Leicester's fifteen minutes west of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free reface assessment.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.