Fireplace surrounds offer great opportunities for all manner of faux stone paint effects, and a great practical solution where the natural product might be too impractical or difficult to install. Any type of stone can be re-created, and as with this project, textured compounds can be added to create an even more realistic effect. Trompe l’oeil illusions can also be painted on the stone effect to add further depth and detail, creating a three-dimensional quality that adds to the realism.

The faux stone effect featured here was quite an unusual project, with the owners contacting me to see if I could come up with a solution to a problem they had with their library fire surround. The surround had been installed off center, being about 2 inches to the left of where it should have been, making it look very unbalanced. As you can imagine, to remove and reinstall the fire would cause problems as there would be a very visible gap down one side.

After having a think about the possibilities, I suggested painting the slate to look like the real stone and adding a trompe l’oeil illusion by extending the carved stone onto the new stone paint effect. This would allow me to subtly increase the width, making everything look central, balanced, and natural. I also cleaned and touched up the surrounding stone to make everything look clean and crisp.

This was a really enjoyable project to do, employing many different painting techniques. At the same time as this commission, I also painted the fireplace in the master bedroom with a ‘shabby chic’ effect with gold detailing.

Lee works as a specialist decorator throughout Yorkshire and UK, and is within easy reach for faux stone work in Harrogate, Leeds, York, Wetherby, Ilkley, Otley, Wakefield, Halifax, and all the surrounding areas.