When people discuss marble for home renovations 95 percent of the time they are talking about countertops and floors for kitchens and bathrooms.

Marble is a natural stone product that has been used in construction projects throughout the ages. The Greeks and Romans used marble as a decoration, flooring, support columns and statues in many of the structures that still stand today. Marble provides the elegance of time and an overall sense of class. Marble is now being quarried all over the world, bringing the benefit of an unbelievable diverse range of colors and patterns, plus very competitive pricing. As with any natural stone product, no two pieces are the same, the fault lines and fossils that have engrained themselves into the stone over the centuries creates an everlasting beauty that cannot be matched by any man made reproduction.

Besides the most common use of kitchen and bathroom countertops and flooring, marble makes an excellent choice as a fireplace surround and mantel. In years past, the only way to purchase a marble mantel was to have it custom crafted and that usually took it out of many peoples home remodel budgets. Recently however, an industry producing a line of standard marble fireplace mantels has been created. These manufacturers are situated all over the world from the UK to China, the US and many of the South American countries. The products are being found in high end home remodelling centers and are relatively easy to install. Most home handymen are quite capable of performing the installation.

Marble does need some tender loving care in order to maintain its aesthetic richness. Most natural stone and this includes marble is porous and needs to be sealed, preferably with a penetrating sealer ever 12 months. A penetrating sealer will prevent dirt and grime from entering the microscopic cavities within the stone.

For those who can afford to remodel with a larger budget you can still have custom crafted fireplace mantels made from marble, most are now hollow, reducing an old problem of using marble, that being weight.

If you want to create a highlight or focal point in a room, a marble fireplace mantel will certainly do just that. Dont forget to add the marble floor and table lamps to your showpiece!