We have recently purchased a moderately priced home that is approximately 60yrs old. The fireplace in the living room has been primed with some sort of grey paint, and then painted over in white. I am unsure as to the material underneath this paint. I feel like it is not just cement block because there is a decorative fan pattern in the material around the top of the material (the indentions of the grout lines are still visible). The material seems to be semi-rough stone of some sort, with very small grout lines. My question is, does aryone have any suggestions as to what this material might be-- it dosen't seem like tile (too rough), and because of the size, I don't believe it is brick. The material on the floor (hearth) is a light tan tile. I don't want to go through massive time and expense if the material is an unattractive material that is meant to be painted, however if it is nice stone, then it may be worth the time and effort. Does anyone have any suggeations as to what this material may be? Also are there any simple <grin> tests to perform that will give me some idea of what's under this paint?

Hoe much would it cost to have a cement patio (10'x10') poured? We have some room in our back yard where we are thinking of doing this.