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This three quarter century old fireplace in a gracious
Connecticut home exemplifies the style and craftsmanship that makes these pre-war homes so valuable. The fireplace and
chimney were mostly constructed of granite, carefully fitted on site. The stone was probably locally quarried from the granite Gneiss and Schist outcroppings characteristic of Connecticut. The builder took advantage of the wide range of colors and textures of the local stone, including both almost white stones and rusty, iron rich stones. The face of the stone has a rough texture characteristic of hard stones that have been hand dressed.
The new owners have sensitively preserved architectural details
as they remodeled and updated the home. Deeply cleaning the accumulated soot and grime from the stone without disturbing the hand crafted texture or local stone color preserves the best qualities of the original fireplace while integrating them with the updated surroundings.
HartzStone set up scaffolding and carefully masked the adjacent walls, ceilings and floor. Using both hand machines and hand brushes, each stone and the adjacent concrete mortar was thoroughly scrubbed with a pH neutral cleaner, formulated for professional use and including stone conditioners. The pH neutral cleaner does not react with the ore rich native stones and is better for the environment than harsh household cleaners. The wastewater was promptly removed with wet vacuums to prevent the dirty residue from being absorbed by the concrete. HartzStone emphasizes safety by using the right equipment, along with the right cleaners, all in experienced hands, to protect the home, the workers and the environment.
This unique, living room focal point of handcrafted stone
now enhances a comfortable, updated home.
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