I'd do one piece if I were in your shoes. Even with a subtle pattern in the stone, the seams and the veins not lining up would detract from the look.

It can done either way; it usually comes down to cost. What size is your fireplace overall? Is the slab size big enough to allow that?

I would need to see your fireplace to know if it can be done in one piece.

Here is a photo & measurements. I'd prefer it to be in one piece of course but the marble I found isn't large enough. Wondering if it's standard to do it in pieces or a big mistake and reason to find a new surround material instead.

Thanks so much for help

Excellent Question! To do a surround in one piece will be more expensive than smaller slabs pieced together. You will need to purchase a slab the entire size of your surround including the fireplace opening. The opening will then be cut from this slab. This will give you a seamless look. If your budget allows, this is a really beautiful look.

However, smaller slabs pieced together to form your surround will save you money in the cost of the marble. Depending on what material your firebox is clad in and the style of your home this may very well suit your design aesthetic and is totally "ok".

Best bet is to price out the material both ways and speak with your installer about the difference in labor costs associated with each installation type.

Good luck and post after pics!

Given the dimensions of your fireplace, you should be able to get away with a single slab. Ask your fabricator how much material they actually need in each direction before you select. It's probably a few inches more than your dimensions above in order for them to do the edges properly. The other thing you might consider since you don't need a lot of thickness for this installation is to use a faux marble engineered quartz that comes in a 1 cm thickness. Cambria, Silestone, and Daltile all have nice-looking options in the thinner material.

They are telling me the white haze marble available isn't large enough even with purchasing the entire slab (which only comes in smaller sizes). I'm having them come to measure themselves to make sure that's the case and will go from there; however, I was wondering if you NEVER want to do it in pieces or if it's common. They're telling me it's done 50/50...Sabrina, thanks for the suggestion on the engineered quartz. They are definitely beautiful these days, I just didn't see one I liked as much as this marble.