Maintenance and cleaning of your fireplace surround
Our customers love the look of their beautiful new fireplace surrounds. What they love nearly as much is the easy upkeep they provide.
After a few years of living with your cast stone mantel, the grit and grime buildup of daily living is inevitable. You may notice that soot and smoke have accumulated in the crevices of your mantel and you’re looking to make a change. Fortunately, cleaning our products is a quick and simple process.
How to clean
Regular dusting will keep your mantel maintained and looking healthy. But every few years, a deeper cleaning is necessary. For your convenience we have also included detailed cleaning information on the website. Simply click on the icon and you will be directed to a page that provides detailed cleaning instructions.
Generally, all you need to proceed is a mild liquid detergent and a soft, non-wire brush. Wet the stone first, then gently scrub smoke and soot marks. Rinse with clean water. It can take a day or two for your mantel to dry completely. After cleaning, it should look like new.
Dealing with stubborn stains
Stubborn stains may resist this gentle cleaning process. The good news is, assuming your fireplace surround was properly sealed during installation, most stains are removable.
If you know what caused the stain, you can research its solvents and determine the best way to remove it. Otherwise, you can try a general purpose stain remover, such as Goof Off, which is used for graffiti removal on cement-based products. You apply Goof Off as described above, scrubbing with your non-abrasive, non-wire brush. Then you rinse and let it dry. A muriatic acid solution (75 percent water, 25 percent acid) is also a stain remover for cast stone. If you’re using these heavier chemicals, be sure to wear gloves and eye protection, just in case of splashes.