Marble or Limestone?

Choosing between marble and limestone for your new fireplace.

Limestone and marble are both natural stones that are commonly used to make fireplaces. Marble tends to be more colourful than limestone, and is generally more expensive. Ultimately the choice between limestone and marble is down to what ‘look’ you prefer.

Here’s a quick summary of the main differences between limestone and marble.

Marble pros:

• Wide choice of colours.

• Wide variation in colouration, markings and veining.

• Available with a highly polished or matt honed finish.

Marble cons:

• Usually expensive than limestone.

• Needs to be imported.

Limestone pros:

• Available in a choice of surface finishes.

• Usually cheaper than marble.

• Can be sourced in England.

Limestone cons:

• Limited choice of colours.

• Can stain more easily than marble.

Classic Mantels specialise in hand-making fireplaces in limestone and marble.