Stacked Stone Fireplace Surround in West End

This fireplace surround in a West End living room was clad in stacked ledger stone panels from the floor to the ceiling on both sides of the firebox and up the face. Ledger stone panels are irregular natural stone pieces adhered to a mesh backing, and they require a mortar-based adhesive rather than standard thinset to achieve the back coverage needed behind the uneven stone faces.

The installation required a scratch coat on the drywall surface to provide mechanical grip for the heavy panels. Corner pieces were used at the outside edges to wrap the stone cleanly around the fireplace face without exposing cut edges. The dark floating mantel shelf was set by the cabinetry crew before we started tile, and our stone tile butts tight to the underside of it.