I am reviewing a number of fireplace products at once, including the product you are viewing right now. I bought a house with a gas fireplace and recently got it working. I learned a lot about various products in the process, and I want to share some of what I learned and also give you my unvarnished reviews of the products I bought. Before you do anything else, however, get your fireplace inspected. You don't want a fire. Ok, with that said, my fireplace is natural gas. To make it look realistic, I bought logs, lava rock, silica sand, and rock wool. I am very pleased with each of my purchases. If you are new to gas fireplaces, here is how you put it all together. Put the sand in the tray, covering the gas pipes. Put the lava rock all around tray to cover the floor of your fireplace. Tear the rock wool in to small pieces (like if you were making stuffing) and spread them out over the sand. Follow the instructions for your log set, but be sure to leave at least 2 inches between all of the logs so the fire can flow easily. If you don't do that, you'll get a lot of soot. Here are my reviews:SILICA SAND: I BOUGHT RUBBERMAID COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS STATION SAND REFILL (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006HWUWS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1). I highly recommend this silica sand. CAUTION: Do not use sand if you have a propane gas fireplace. If you have propane gas, you must use vermiculite. I have a natural gas fireplace, so I can use either vermiculite or sand. I chose sand. My understanding is that you can only use silica sand in a fireplace because it tolerates very high heat. The silica sand I purchased was marked for ashtray stations and did not say that it was rated for fireplaces. So, I called Rubbermaid who confirmed that it can tolerate up to 2300 degrees F, which is much hotter than any gas fireplace will get. The description of the sand is a little confusing, and apparently some customers did not get the right amount or the right color. I received 5 bags, each weighing 5lbs, as described, in the color of my choice (black). I am extremely happy with this product and have sand to last me a few years at least. I used 2 bags.LOGS: I BOUGHT SEERCOOK WHITE BIRCH CERAMIC LOGS (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8JB5P48?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title). I highly recommend these logs. However, if you are looking for super high quality ceramic logs, these are not what you want. These are ceramic fiber logs, not "pure ceramic", also called "refractory ceramic." Purse ceramic logs are very expensive and run in the hundreds. I wanted something economical, and these are exactly what I was looking for. I read the reviews of several white birch logs, and people commented that they got soot on them and lost their white appearance. There is truth to that, but no birch logs would stay white in a real wood fireplace either. After use, my logs have some blackened spots (that mostly can be brushed off) and turned to a grayer color that I think looks very realistic. I highly recommend these logs.ROCK WOOL: I BOUGHT HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANCE ROCK WOOL GAS LOGS (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDSBHB3L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title). I highly recommend this rock wool. The product I received did not come in the packaging that appears in the photos, but I really don't care what the packaging looks like. My rock wool came in a clear, heavy plastic bag that was stuffed with oodles of rock wool and shipped in a small box. I bought two, which is way more than I needed. A little goes a long way when it comes to rock wool! I probably used ¼ of one bag. This rock wool is excellent and a bargain compared to others being sold on Amazon. You will be happy with this product.LAVE ROCKS: I BOUGHT AMERICAN FIREGLASS MEDIUM LAVA ROCKS (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NHW0NS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1).I highly recommend these lava rocks. I bought two packages of these lava rocks and needed both. DO NOT (as I did) just dump the rocks directly from the bag. There is so much dirty lava rock dust on the bottom and it made a complete mess. Instead, grab handfuls of the lava rock and place them where you want them. The dust will stay in the bag that way. The lava rocks look great in my opinion, though I have only put one bag on. So, if it looks a little skimpy in the photos, that's why.