Lava Rocks – General Information

Each day explosions of ash, fire, and lava erupt from volcanoes leaving cooled remains commonly known as lava rocks. One of the most common materials found on earth, lava rock is readily available and very reasonably priced for use in variety of household projects including decorating, building materials, and barbequing. Conveniently, because these rocks are naturally formed, they vary in size and shape and come in small, medium, and large to suit your needs.

You’ll most commonly see lava rocks used as a landscaping material or in barbeque grills. While lava rocks are great for both, many homeowners are using them when converting or updating wood burning fireplaces and fire pits. Depending on the look you’re aiming for you have the option of using gas logs for a classic, traditional look or filling it with fire glass for a more contemporary, modern look. While you can certainly fill the entire fireplace or fire pit with fire glass, it is much more cost effective to use lava rock as a filler; since the only part of the fire glass that’s actually visible are the top few layers. This way you get the same expensive look but for less by using a one inch deep layer to cover the burner pan of the firebox with lava rock and then covering it with a decorative fire glass of your choice.

Determining how much fire glass and lava rock you need can be tricky. Luckily, there are helpful calculators to do most of the work for you. After answering a few simple questions regarding where the fire glass will be placed and the size of the firebox, the calculator will provide you with an accurate estimate of how much fire glass and/or lava rock you will to fill your fireplace.

Whatever your reason for implementing lava rocks into your design scheme, you’ll definitely be happy with the price and the outcome.