Pale surround for real fire

[shankly]

Looking for a marble fireplace for new house. Plan on having a real fire. Every supplier we've tried has told us that we can't have a pale surround (only black cast iron) as it will discolour over time. Has anyone else had this problem?

Also, the manmade marble seems to cost a lot less than the natural marble, but looks as good. Can anyone advise?

 

[Irish Fire]

it depends on what you are burning, smokeless fuels will help to prolong the discolouration but it will happen over time, a lot of people would say this add a bit of charm to a room.